In Dreams We Trust
by DeadfangtheWanderer
Summary: After a tragic accident leaves England in a coma, America is forced to come to terms with his feelings for him. Meanwhile, both America and England find themselves living out their dreams in a world no one knew was real...
1. Chapter 1

"England? Hey, England? You awake?" asked the American, shaking the bed upon which his 'friend' laid. The other man gave a small grumble, shooing away Alfred F. Jones' hand.  
"Aw, c'mon, Iggy..." Alfred asked again, his voice whining and pleading.  
"Why can't you leave me alone for one bloody second..." Arthur replied in annoyance.  
Alfred gave an annoyed snort.  
"Fine. If you won't wake up, then I guess you don't get any donuts."  
"Donuts...?"  
"Yeah. The best goddamn donuts in the world, dude. We have tea, too. "  
Arthur Kirkland sat up slightly in his bed, eyeing Alfred in an annoyed manner.  
"I'm not hungry, thank you. I wouldn't mind some tea, though. "  
"Huh, suit yourself," he said, handing the refined Englishman a small cup of tea.  
"Thank you. "  
Arthur took a sip of the tea, then immediately spat it out.  
"What the bloody hell is in this? It tastes like shit!" He exclaimed.  
Alfred shrugged.  
"Whatever. I'm going to go get dressed and ready for the meeting."  
"'Kay." Alfred responded, taking Arthur's teacup and setting it aside. He watched as Arthur got out of bed and headed in the direction of the showers.  
"Huh, that reminds me..." Alfred said to himself absentmindedly.

"Bloody America, waking me up with his foolishness..." Arthur grumbled to himself as he made his way down the halls. Why had America been beside his bed anyways? Oh well, the American always seemed to do peculiar things that had no explanation. Why would this time have been any different?  
Arthur walked into the showers. He could tell that they had recently been cleaned, as they shined and sparkled with a fresh glow. He walked into one of the somewhat cramped stalls, took his nightgown off, and folded his clothes neatly behind the door. He looked at himself in the mirror, stark naked. Yeah, look at that sexy bod, he thought to himself sarcastically. Ugh, he only wished he was sexy. Arthur then heard a shuffling outside the door. He began to feel uneasy...  
"Hey Iggy!" Came a sudden, loud voice, knocking the door open. In a millisecond, Arthur realized that he had forgotten to lock the door, meaning that anyone could come in at any moment...  
Alfred barged in. Arthur stood, frozen in place, as Alfred stood there. An awkward silence arose after Alfred realized what he had barged into.  
"Heh, sorry..." He said weakly. Alfred could feel his face glow red and his body tense. The blood rushed down from his head and into his lower body. He just hoped that he hadn't...dammit.  
"Uhh..." Arthur managed to stutter, equally embarrassed.  
Suddenly, he came to his senses and grabbed a nearby towel, covering his 'vital regions.'  
"Uhhh...I-I was just going to tell you that France said hi..." Alfred stuttered, then left the room as quickly as possible.  
Arthur, still standing frozen in front of the mirror, slowly came back to his senses. Silently, he stepped into the shower, turned on the faucet, and stood in the warmth of the running water.

It was going to be a long week.

* * *

A few hours later, the world meeting had begun. The countries took their usual spots around the large table. At the front of the wide room, Alfred stood, his face a mask of his usual pride and determination. The countries fought amongst themselves, as usual. Suddenly, Alfred noticed that someone was missing. A slight wave of he-didn't-know-what hit his chest. What was that feeling? He had been having that for a while now, usually with anything concerning England. It was starting to really bother him…..  
"Hey, dudes! Shut up for a second. Where's England?" his voiced boomed, quieting the other countries momentarily.  
"England, hm? In le showers, wasn't he?" France piped up, flipping his hair in an unnecessarily dramatic fashion.  
"Yeah...I mean, it's not a party without Iggy! Heh..." Alfred said, hoping the others didn't notice the blush that took over his face.  
An awkward silence resonated momentarily between the allies.  
"I'm here, wankers." came a voice suddenly, the doors swinging open dramatically. There stood Arthur Kirkland, dressed handsomely, his hair in the perfect state of messiness. His suit was black with thin navy stripes on his jacket, and a matching tie. Shined shoes, recently polished. A dashing smirk upon his face.

Alfred felt that strange feeling in his chest once again, only this time, it was much stronger.

"Now..." England said, striding to his seat, "Lets get down to business."


	2. Chapter 2

"England...?" America muttered quietly to himself.  
"Sorry I'm late, America. Just a little holdback. So, what are we doing?"  
Uh...uhhh..." America stuttered, having completely lost his train of thought.  
England sat down in his seat between France and Russia.  
"Well...?  
"Uh...oh! We were discussing how we could use the power of our friendship in order to pay off our debts to eachother! No money, no violence, just friendship. Unless you want a war, then you can have a war, bitch! How does that sound?" America spat out, first unsurely then proudly.  
China puffed. "I find your policies quite ridiculous, America. Maybe some of the tensions between countries would be solved if they were to just pay what they owe, aru."  
"Yeah, that too, China!" America replied, with a slight harsh tone to his voice.  
"Question. "  
"Yes, Russia?"  
"What was the point of this meeting, exactly?"  
"Actually, I'm not sure. Do you know, England?" He asked as he saw the look of apprehension on the Englishman's face.  
"Well, actually...There was something that I wanted to tell you all. Especially you, America. It doesn't concern all of you, you know, but it's important."  
"Just spit it out already!"  
"Well, you see, there's been a huge financial crisis. My country is in turmoil."  
"WHAT?!" shouted several of the countries simultaneously.  
"Dude, why the hell didn't you tell us this earlier?"  
"Well, _Mr. Hero_, I figured it was none of your damn business. But then I felt a wee bit sorry for it...anyways, we'll get it fixed up by a few years."  
Some of the other countries all asked questions, and once again, argued amongst themselves. Meanwhile, England and America stood above them, watching silently.  
"Uh, dude...I think maybe we should end this meeting. "  
"Well, you're the one with the bloody power to do so."  
"...right. HEY GUYS, THE MEETINGS OVER!" America called out above the commotion. The countries all turned to look at him, then stood up and all left the room in a hustle. Left alone in the hall together, Alfred turned to Arthur.  
"Hey Iggy, you want to go hang out sometime? You seem to be in a lot of stress, I though we could maybe go out and hit on some chicks together. "  
Arthur wanted to turn down the offer, but he was much to tired to argue with a pleading America.  
"Very well, as long as you stop calling me Iggy. "  
"Why would I stop calling you Iggy? That's your name, isn't it?"  
"Yeah...whatever. " said Arthur in a defeated tone.

* * *

It was the next morning. Arthur had just woken up, his eyes baggy and his hair a total mess.  
"Hey, Iggy! You're awake!" America exclaimed suddenly, coming alarmingly close to Arthur's face and startling him in the process.  
"Bloody 'ell, America! Why are you beside my bed, anyways? Why are you waking me up so early?"  
"Because we were gunna hang around New York today, remember?"  
"New York?!"  
"Yeah! Now get up!"  
"Give me one damn second, will you?"  
"Fine, but hurry up!"

A few minutes later, Arthur was ready. He was indeed indignant that America had waken him up, but had lost his motivation to do much otherwise. He was sort of mellowed out. He could be up making a difference in the world, or practicing his magic, and instead he was taking a trip around NY with America. Oh, well it could be worse. He could be dead.

* * *

It was mid evening. The New York streets were busy as usual, lights glaring, the smell of smog tainting the air.  
But Alfred Jones was seemingly in heaven. This was his city, almost home turf. And to make it better, he had his Iggy right there beside him. Wait, what?  
"Where are we going, anyways?" Said Arthur, interrupting America's thoughts.  
"Oh...I dunno. How about we go to the park?"  
"The park?"  
"Yeah! There's chicks everywhere there, brosef!"  
"Well, I'm not really interested in bothering any of the girls right now, but whatever..."  
"Oh come on, it'll be fun! Hey...are you okay?" America asked, a tender edge to his voice. England looked at him. A chord seemed to snap in America's heart as he saw the sad and tired look in England's eyes.  
"I hope I'm fine." he replied.  
"It'll be okay. If worse comes to worse, I can save you...I am the hero, you know..I can save anyone. "  
"Right_. The hero._ " Arthur replied with a tired sigh.  
"It'll be okay, I promise. " said America. An overwhelming desire to put his arm around his Iggy suddenly arose. Don't be weird, Alfred, don't be weird...  
"Say...why were you late for the meeting, anyways?"  
Alfred asked.  
"Hm? Oh, the meeting? Heh, I had just been talking to my girlfriend. She needed me to do some favors for her, you know. "  
"Girlfriend?!"  
"Yeah. "  
"Heh, that makes sense..." Alfred said falteringly. He kept a joyful mask on the outside, but on the inside, be felt dead. His heart seemed to drop to his stomach. He had never felt this feeling before, oh god, what was happening to him? Why did it hurt so bad?  
"What's wrong? Your face is awfully red. "Arthur asked.  
"Oh nothing, I'm fine." he replied. He felt like crying.

The two walked into a local coffee shop, enjoying the atmosphere. Or at least they pretended too, as Arthur was tired and depressed and Alfred was desperate and heartbroken. Or more panicked, as he had never felt heartbreak before and the feeling was alien to him.

They were greeted by the manager of the shop, where they made their order. Alfred had black coffee shot with PowerAde, and Arthur had tea. They sat in the peacefulness of the shop as they sipped their drinks.

"America…about that whole girlfriend thing…I really don't have a girlfriend. I had actually just been distracted by Flying Mint Bunny and Uni. Also, I accidentally locked myself in the loo and had to use my black magic to get myself out."

"Uhhh….okay….why did you lie?"

"I just wanted to see how you'd react….?"

"Okay…" Alfred said neutrally, though inside he felt as if a weight had been lifted off his heart.

Arthur looked at Alfred, trying his best to read his emotions. He noticed that he seemed to be blushing. Strange. Arthur had always suspected that Alfred had a 'thing' for him, though for the life of him, he didn't know why. Arthur didn't _like_ Alfred, exactly, but he had noticed himself becoming softer towards the prideful nation. And now, staring Alfred deep into his bright blue eyes, he felt a sort of spark go off in his chest….Seriously, though, he had said the thing about the girlfriend to get a reaction. Because Arthur couldn't stand the thought of not knowing. And even in his lowly, depressed state, he still knew how to find things out on his own.

"Hey, Iggy….It's starting to get crowded, maybe we should leave…" Alfred said tentatively.

"Yeah…"

It was starting to get dark.

"This place is awful mingin'…." Arthur said tiredly. "Where are we headed, exactly?"

"I was going to take us to the park, but it's already dark. Hey, that rhymed! Like Colquitt and Triumvirate!"

Arthur gave the ever excitable Alfred a strange look and decided to ignore the sudden outburst.

They continued to walk along the sidewalk.

"Oh, hey! That's where we need to be." Alfred said, pointing to a narrow walkway across a busy road. "We need to cross the street."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, America?"

"Well, we're gunna have to get across somehow. Don't worry, you'll be safe. I'm the hero, remember? Now, run!"

Grabbing Arthur's hand, Alfred dashed off while no cars were approaching. Or he thought there was no cars coming, when suddenly, a blinding light hit his eyes. Next thing he knew, Alfred was safe across the street. But it was too late that he heard the sickening thump behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

"Arthur? Arthur Kirkland?"  
"Is he up yet?"  
"Wait, he's waking up..."

Arthur heard the girlish voices somewhere above him as his senses gradually came back. He opened his eyes.  
"Bloody Hell..."  
"What was that, sir?"  
"Where am I?"  
"The hospital, sir. There was a bad accident. You've been unconscious for three days."

Arthur barely processed the information as he stared with disbelief into the eyes of the creature. Bluish eyes. White coat. Pink mane. A cartoonish pony.  
Was he drunk again?  
Was he delusional, more so than usual?  
Where was Flying Mint Bunny, and his other friends?  
And also, why did he feel so weird?  
Arthur held his hand in front of his face. But instead of a hand, he was faced with a silvery grey hoof. He inhaled sharply.  
_"What have you wankers done to me? Where is America?!"_  
The ponies looked at him in confusion.  
"Who's America? You're in the Ponyville Hospital. Calm down, you're safe."  
"Okay..." Arthur said, his body weak. He wanted to know more, but he felt almost too tired to even think about his situation. He was a pony. Fine then.  
"Twilight Sparkle brought you here. You know, who lives in the Library? Said she found you behind Sugarcube Corner lying unconscious on the ground."  
"Okay..." he mumbled weakly.

Based on the digital clock at his bedside, it was one in the afternoon. Arthur took a deep breath, gathering in his surroundings. The smell of baked goods wafted from somewhere nearby. The clear afternoon light shone in through the clear window, bordered by satin curtains. The machine beside him beeped quietly. And most strangely, his body was bare and oddly shaped. He didn't feel much different, but enough to be weirded out. The worst part was his lack of fingers. Oh, how that messed him up. He would try to reach for something, only to end up swatting at it with a heavy nub of a limb.

Also, he now had a horn at the top of his head.

He didn't initially know the purpose of the horn, only that he sometimes got strange magical wisps erupting from the end whenever he tried to focus on the single body part. He sometimes saw other ponies with similar horns, and how they used it for levitation and such. Some were more powerful with it than others. Arthur decided that he wanted to figure out how to use it like the other ponies, as it might come in handy for many of his black magic spells.

Arthur lay down back into the cot with an exhausted sigh. Maybe this dream world the locals called Ponyville wouldn't be so bad. Everyone else seemed to be happy. Arthur always wanted to be transported somewhere else, to get away from the rest of the world to melt away all his stress.  
However, a pang of distress hit his heart as he thought of the other countries. Sure, they were all wankers who could burn in Hell for all he cared, but they were wankers that needed him. Even the frog. And especially America...who needed him the most. Arthur would miss him most of all, though he hated to admit it to himself...

And also, how did Arthur get here? All he could remember was being in the dark streets with America, and then haziness, then a few seconds later, he woke up here. Maybe he was dreaming...? But if it was a dream, why did it feel so real? Who were these ponies?

The same pony from before walked in, interrupting his thoughts.

"You're free to go, mister Kirkland. The doctor will be with you in a few seconds." she said. Arthur then noticed her nametag, which read 'Nurse Redheart'.  
"Free to go...?" Arthur repeated wistfully.  
The nurse left the room as another pony, a male, walked in.

"Time to go, Mr. Arthur Kirkland. I must say a rather strange name for a pony…anyways, you will be checked out at the front."

Nurse Redheart rolled a wheelchair next to the cot, urging Arthur to sit in it. He carefully slipped off the bed, and feeling rather exposed, settled gingerly into the chair. They began to roll him out of the room, into the hall, and to the front of the building. Barely aware of what was happening around him, Arthur began to fade out as the blurred colors of other nurse ponies wandered past him. He was able to make out the variations of the different ponies, some had wings, some had horns like him, and some had neither. He noticed the different marks on their sides, each different from one another.

Eventually, Arthur had been rolled out to the front desk, where he heard the scribbling of ink pens and the crinkling of papers and scrolls. He messily signed one paper as they placed a pen in his mouth. He noticed them give him strange looks as he signed, but he ignored it. He just wanted to be out of that place.

After a few long minutes, Arthur was allowed to stand up and make his way out the door. He began to stumble, not used to what felt like walking on his hands. He eventually gained his balance, walking stiffly. However, before he went out, the male doctor pony whispered something in his ear;

"You're quite a different pony than what I've seen, Mr. Kirkland. Keep it up, but be careful. This place isn't always as kind as it seems."

Arthur nodded absentmindedly, wondering exactly how they knew his name. Then he walked out the swinging doors and into the light of the world that was so foreign to him.

* * *

"_England! Oh my god, wake up!"_ Alfred shouted as he shook Arthur's shoulders. Blood stained the area around him. He didn't wake up, he didn't move. Alfred could feel the huge lump that had arisen in his throat as he stared down at his immobile friend. Silently, Alfred took off his bomber jacket and placed it over Arthur.

Tears were beginning to form at the corners of his eyes and he watched the car drive past, not slowing down, not even noticing the catastrophe that it had left behind. Alfred cursed the person in the car, and cursed himself; it was his own fault that his precious Iggy was hurt and possibly dead.

He needed to get help. Now.

* * *

Alfred stood, heavyhearted, beside the cot where his friend lay. Machines beeped, men and women in white coats rushed around the room in an organized panic around him. One of the nurses approached him, her dirty-blonde hair tied in a bun, her grey eyes tired.

"Sir, we need you to leave." She said sternly.

"But I can't leave him behind! He needs me…" Alfred mumbled pitifully, trying to hide the tears that he could feel begin to stream down his face. The nurse looked at him with stern and pity.

"I'm sorry, but you have to go home. He's in a coma, he might not wake up for a few days or several weeks."

"_What?! _No, no, you don't understand, you don't…" his voice choked as he felt his legs begin to give out underneath him.

The nurse's eyes softened. "I'm terribly sorry sir, but we need to be alone with him. We can get one of our doctors to take you home, if you want."

"No…" Alfred said weakly, walking out of the crowded room. As he left, he took one last look at his friend's bandaged face, green eyes dulled and blood stained hair. Alfred turned and walked out as the tears streamed openly down his face.

* * *

"Japan?"

"Yes, America?"

"I need you to pick me up. I'm at the hospital in NY. I'll send you the directions."

"Okay, America-san…"

* * *

A few hours later, the sleek, black car pulled up to the curb where Alfred sat. Alfred got inside, feeling the tears dried on his face. Japan, sitting in the front, said nothing as he sensed the sorrow of his friend. No questions were asked.

* * *

Alfred walked inside his house. Not bothering to change, he laid down on his worn couch, having not said a word since his call to Japan. A few minutes later, the tears came again, harsher than before. He needed his Iggy. The thought of losing him was just too much. And as he kept thinking about it, the more he realized the affection he felt for Arthur Kirkland. To him, it was indescribable. The first time he fell in love, and he already screwed everything up. He was hopeless.

Eventually, Alfred fell into a deep sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Arthur Kirkland stepped into the library.

Smirking slightly, he thought of all the experiences he had just by walking through Ponyville. He had been assaulted by a flying dump truck filled with muffins, almost bawled over by an overly-zealous filly on a scooter, and confronted by a peculiar pink pony who insisted on throwing a party for him. What a wonderful town.

Upon noticing what he assumed was the library pony, he stepped inside the library, which he found to be quite intriguing in the way it had been built into a tree. What strange architecture these ponies had.

"Can I help you?" asked the pony, her coat a light violet with a similar purple theme throughout her body and a horn similar to his. Arthur wondered what he looked like.  
"You are Twilight Sparkle, I presume?" he asked.  
"Why yes. Am I needed? Wait….aren't you that pony who I found behind Sugarcube Corner?"  
"I believe I am."  
"Oh…is everything okay?"  
"Yes, but, you see….I have nowhere to stay, and there are no available inns anywhere near…"  
"Oh…"  
"The doctor told me you were the one who brought me here, and I was wondering if I could stay for a while…"  
The pony appeared indecisive.  
"Well…I suppose you can…but under one condition."  
"What?"  
"You let me test on you. Also, to not mess up the library."  
"Test on me…?"  
"Yes. You're clearly not from here. Your voice, your name, everything. I want to know more."  
"How is that testing on me?"  
"Because _science._"  
"What? I don't want to be bloody…very well. As long as I can stay here. Also, I have some questions about this place. "

Twilight Sparkle smiled, though something about that smile made Arthur shiver.

"Here, allow me to lead you to your bedroom. It's upstairs. It might be a little uncomfortable, I don't really have many visitors at all.  
"Okay..." Arthur responded, uneasy but just glad to have a place to stay. At least it would mean he would be surrounded by information on the world he was in.  
"Up here."  
He followed Twilight upstairs, tripping ever so often. When they reached the top, he was greeted by a small green and purple creature, which he assumed was a type of drake due to it's lack of wings. He was intrigued by the drake, but said nothing.  
"Oh, this is Spike. He's my assistant, I'll make sure he won't bother you too much. " Twilight said, motioning towards the drake. Spike seemed to give an annoyed glance towards Arthur.  
"And up here is where you'll stay. "  
Arthur looked around. It was clearly Twilight's bedroom, with her bed raised up on a platform next to a window. Books and scrolls were scattered all around in a sort of organized chaos. Twilight led him towards a small, hidden cot near the back of the room, that was much too small for Arthur. He then noticed a window out to the balcony, which gave him an idea.  
"Um...excuse me, but I do believe that it would be better for me to sleep on the balcony. "  
"The balcony...? Are you sure?"  
"Quite."  
"Very well. It might be uncomfortable, though. "  
"That's quite alright." Admittedly, Arthur was just glad for a place to stay.  
"Suit yourself. Say, where are your bags?"  
"Bags...?" Arthur had completely forgotten about carrying any sort of belongings with him.  
"You don't have any?"  
"No..."  
"Oh..."  
"I'll be fine, though. I'm very thankful, Ms. Sparkle. "  
He noticed Twilight blush slightly.  
"Oh, it's fine. I'm actually really excited, I never get much visitors who aren't just looking for books. "  
Arthur nodded.  
"Well, I'll leave you alone now. "  
"Yes, thank you. I won't be here too long. " Arthur replied, though in reality he had no idea how long he would be staying.  
Twilight left, leaving him alone in the room. However, a certain 'baby dragon' appeared, giving him a falsely intimidating gaze.  
"Look here, unicorn," said the drake, "I don't know who you are, but you better not hurt Twilight or any other pony. "  
"Why in my right mind would I do that?" Arthur replied, more sharply than intended.  
"Because...because you never know. I want you out of here as fat as possible. "  
"Well, it wasn't much of a choice for me to stay here. I'd rather not be in this town at all, considering that all the ponies in this town are crazy. "  
Spike grunted, causing a small stream of smoke to arise from his nostrils.  
"Whatever," he said, then left the room.  
Now alone, Arthur felt quite ridiculous, having just argued with a baby drake. He began to make his way towards the balcony when he noticed a mirror at the other side of the room. He approached it.  
Arthur gave a slight gasp at his reflection.

Dark, silvery grey coat, sandy blonde mane and tail not too different from his human self, and the same bushy eyebrows and emerald green eyes. Also, and most peculiar, a Union Jack stamped on both sides of his arse. He looked different, to say the least, but there was something so familiar about his appearance that made him not feel so different. Maybe it was just the eyebrows.

Walking to the balcony window and outside, Arthur took a deep breath. It was starting to get a little dark, he wondered exactly what time it was. He kneeled down onto the floor of the balcony. He wanted sleep, that was all. There were so many questions that were filling his mind, so much troubling thoughts, but the sleepiness eventually took over as he settled onto the hard floor. He wondered how it would be when he woke up back as a human, in the world he knew so well, back where all the stress of his country's failing economy lay...

The last image that crossed Arthur's mind as he fell asleep was the sight of America's bright blue eyes, his charming smile, the panic in his voice as Arthur lied about having a girlfriend...

* * *

Something stirred in Alfred's mind as he slept.  
A bubbly, high-pitched voice that seemed to arise out of nowhere?  
The smell of baked goods?  
In his subconscious mind, Alfred took it all in.

Then he finally fell into a deep sleep.

He was projected into space, into a place he didn't know, a place he'd barely ever heard of. It seemed as if time itself was bending around him, twisting and lurching, falling underneath him.

Then there was more blackness.

* * *

"Wake up, silly! You've been asleep for forever!" Came the same bubbly voice.

Alfred opened his eyes, which were hit by the blinding light of morning. He shrugged away from the light. As he tried to open his eyes again, he was faced with huge, light blue eyes staring down about an inch away from his face.  
"Augh!" he shrieked rather girlishly, leaping up. However, as he tried to get on his feet, he immediately fell over on his side as he lost balance.  
The creature laughed. It was a high, sort of snorting giggle, that somehow made Alfred feel a tingle of joy.

Alfred got up. Then he saw what had happened to him. And once again, he shrieked.  
This time, the other creature actually seemed concerned.  
"What's wrong? You seem a little freaked out. Was it something that I did?"  
"No...no..." he replied, wobbling on his hoofs. "Where am I?"  
"You're in Ponyville, silly! Where else would you be? Well, except for the rest of Equestria. Like Canterlot, Appleoosa, Manehattan, Everfree Forest..." the pony continued, rambling on as Alfred attempted to regain his composure.  
He looked up at the pony who had greeted him and realized that she seemed somewhat familiar. The frizzy pink mane, bubblegum colored coat, blue eyes...he had seen her on TV, perhaps...?

Still somewhat dazed from the shock of the encounter, Alfred noticed a small pool of water a few paces away. After struggling to get up on fours, he hobbled to the pool and looked down at his reflection...  
"Aw hell to the yeah! I'm a badass pony! Look at these wings!" he shouted, unfurling the pair of wings at his side. He then looked down deeper at his reflection. Dark brown coat, same messy brown hair and curl, same blue eyes and glasses. He was the same America, the same Alfred F. Jones, but a flying pony. Now _that_ was badass.

But all of the sudden, a wave of pain hit his chest, and he slumped down. He hung his head down low as he remembered what happened the previous night. A throbbing headache began to pulse inside his mind.  
"And don't forget Saddle Arabia, and then there's...hey, are you okay?" The pink pony asked, stopping as she noticed the sorrowful look on Alfred's face. He didn't respond as numbness took over.  
"Aww, C'mon Alfie...turn that frown upside down!" She said, then gave a silly dance. Noticing that the other pony was still sad, she gave a slight frown.  
"How do you know my name?" Alfred asked suddenly, breaking his silence.  
"Oh, I know everypony's name! You're Alfred Jones, aren't you? Heh, what a silly name! And your cutie mark, it's different too. Not that that's a bad thing. "  
Alfred looked down at his sides.  
"Ah, I've got a flag on my ass! If that isn't patriotism, then I don't know what is. "  
The other pony seemed confused, but happy that Alfred appeared to have cheered up slightly.  
"Well Mr. Jones, we're having a party later today at Twilight's house, for one of the other ponies who recently came into town. She's the pony that lives at the library, by the way. I'd really like it if you came to the party. And also, where are you staying, since I only just found you laying out here asleep? Somepony must be taking care of you, right?"  
"Well, actually, I'm not even sure where I am or what I'm doing here."  
"Oh...so you're not staying with anypony?"  
"No, but I need a place to stay. "  
"Oh, I know the perfect place for you to stay! She never really has other ponies as company, and she lives just around here. I hope you don't mind animals! Oh, and my name's Pinkie Pie, but you might've already known that. The party's around seven o'clock, by the way. Be sure to be there! Now, off to Fluttershy's!"

Alfred was barely able to stand back up before he was swept off his feet by the hyper pink pony.


	5. Chapter 5

"Oh...hello…" The butter yellow pegasus said shyly.  
"Hi, Fluttershy! I have a friend here who needs a place to stay and I was wondering if you could provide it for him!"  
"Stay h-here? I dunno, Pinkie…"  
"C'mon Fluttershy! It'll only be for a little while, and he shouldn't be much trouble. Right, Alfred?"  
"Oh, yeah…" Alfred replied unsuredly.  
"Very well then, you can stay, but only for a little while, if that's okay with you." Fluttershy replied.

Alfred took a closer look at the pony who would be sheltering him. Her soft yellow coat, her long, pink mane, and her turquoise eyes that reflected her gentle demeanor. There was something about her that made Alfred want to protect her, and to keep her safe. She seemed so delicate.

"Thank you." Alfred said, giving a slight bow. It felt unnatural to him, being so polite. That was something he would probably have to work on.  
"Yay! Can I stay over for a little while, too? Please, pleeease?!" Pinkie asked, bouncing up and down at a rapid pace. Alfred was starting to like Pinkie, he loved her excitement.  
"Sure you can, if you want." Fluttershy mumbled.  
"Yay! Super friend time!" she yelled, proceeding to leap into the house. A commotion stirred, the animals beginning to flee around while making louder and louder noises.  
"Aw…this one is so cute!" Pinkie said, grabbing the nearest creature, a small kitten. The kitten then clawed at Pinkie, slicing off a portion of her bouncy mane.  
"Uh…can you show me to my room now, please?" Alfred asked Fluttershy as the commotion continued around them.  
"Oh…yes. Follow me."

They proceeded into the house, going up the stairs and into the single bedroom.

"Wow, cool crib…" Alfred said, and Fluttershy smiled shyly. Then Alfred realized something.  
"Hey, isn't this the only bedroom in the house? Where are you going to sleep?"  
"Oh…haha…I usually sleep on the couch with all the animals. It's no trouble."  
"Are you sure?"  
"I'm sure."  
"Oh, well, thanks again. I probably won't be staying in the house very much, only during nights."  
"Oh, okay."

There was a few seconds long pause as the conversation died out. This pony might be hard to talk to; Alfred thought to himself, she was so quiet. In a way, this sweet little pony reminded him very much of someone else he knew, but he wasn't sure who…

After going downstairs, they both saw that Pinkie was still disrupting the animals. Alfred watched as Fluttershy barely spoke a word, and in a few seconds, all of the animals seemed to calm down considerably. They all flocked around her in a peaceful congregation, making happy grumbling sounds in their throats.  
"There, there…It's only Pinkie Pie." Fluttershy said, smiling the sweetest smile Alfred had ever seen. He felt his heart skip a beat. That wasn't a good sign.  
"Woah, that was totally friggin' awesome, Fluttershy! You like, summoned them to you or something! How'd you do that?" Alfred said enthusiastically.  
"Oh," she said, blushing, "It's my special talent." She continued to stroke the head of a few of the animals, making a melodic humming noise that seemed to calm them further. "I have the special ability to speak to them. It's nothing much, really."  
"Well _I_ for one thought it was pretty badass." Alfred said.  
Fluttershy blushed once again.  
"Well, I'm going to go out into the town. I'll see you guys later." Alfred said, trying to be as cool as possible.  
"Oh. Byyye!" Pinkie shouted.

Alfred walked out the door of the cottage. As soon as he walked out, however, the same grief and heartbreak that had hit him so hard the previous night once again overcame him. He wanted to stay in this dream world forever, to never wake up, but he knew that wasn't possible. His Iggy was deathly hurt. He wanted to not face the facts, to just run away from it all, but he knew he couldn't. This world needed him, and so did Iggy. This world needed a hero.

Suddenly, a wave hit Alfred, and in a millisecond, he fell to the ground. Blackness took over.

* * *

"Ah, my arse..." Arthur muttered to himself as he massaged his sore ass and back. Something wasn't right.

Oh yeah, he was still a pony. He didn't expect that.

Panic hit him as he woke up completely. He leapt up, almost falling over when he realized that he was about fifteen feet off the ground. Oh yeah, the balcony. Twilight Sparkle. Ponyville.

Why was he still a pony?

_Don't panic, don't panic,_ he told himself. He must've still been dreaming. But why was this happening? And why _ponies_? Why a world possibly dreamt up by a second grader on acid?

Maybe he was the one on acid.

But whatever the case, he needed to get back into his right mind, and fast. His country needed him, and America..._Oh bollocks, America_. He needed America. Athur felt weak and stupid that he was in a crisis and yet the only person he could think of was bloody _America. _

Ugh. Once again, it was going to be a long week.

* * *

"Oh, Arthur, you're awake. Ready to begin testing?"  
"Actually, I was just wondering if you had some brekkers, some tea and scones, perhaps..."  
"Uhh...no...but I have some Alfalfa sandwiches. I didn't really think about food. You could probably find some out in town somewhere, though."  
"Alfalfa Sandwiches...? Uh, no thanks, I'm good. I'll eat later. But in the meantime, I have some questions I would like to ask. "  
"Question? Oh, ask me anything. I need to study anyways."  
"Well, first of all..." Arthur began, "Where the bloody hell am I?"  
"What do you mean? This is Ponyville, in the library."  
"Yes, I know, but...on a bigger scale. What country?"  
"Country?"  
"Yes, country." Arthur said. He knew that the fellow unicorn thought of him as either insane or really stupid for asking such a mundane question, but he really just wanted some answers.  
"Equestria...?" she answered with the predicted odd look.  
"You mean, we're in Ponyville, in the land of Equestria?"  
"Yeah..."  
"Very well. Also, is there any sort of interdimensional loophole anywhere around here?"  
"I don't know...wait, is there? This is something that I must find out! I need to go talk to Pinkie Pie, she would know everything about interdimensional loopholes! Thank you!" Twiilight shouted as she ran out the door of the library. Arthur stood, dumbstruck, as he watched the pony run out.  
"Does she always do that?" he asked no one in particular.  
"Yeah, you get used to it after a while. She'll be back in a few hours, or days, you never really know." said Spike, toddling down the stairs as he picked gem shards out of his teeth.  
Arthur grunted.

* * *

_'The Origins of Equestria'_  
_Chapter 1: Before Celestia_

_Really, nopony is exactly sure how Equestria came into being. Many speculate that it was due to a meteor from space that this great land came into being. Others speak the possibility of some sort of giant creature that came and swept up the land into one. Way back millions of years ago, this land was inhabited by prehistoric ponies. These ponies evolved into what we are today. Somewhere along the line of evolution, these ponies split into three separate races: the Earth ponies, the Unicorns, and the Pegasi. As the years went on and the races developed further, they spread out in groups along the different poles of Equestria. All young colts and fillies know of the great war that eventually erupted between all the races. This was what lead to the building of many towns and cities in Equestria, each founded by a different race. For example, Cloudsdale, which was constructed by pegasi; Ponyville, which was founded by earth ponies; and Canterlot, which was founded by unicorns. Over the years almost of all these towns grew to allow different kinds of ponies as the tensions between races faded out and eventually disappeared._

_Chapter 2: The Rise of the Princesses_

_As everypony in Equestria knows, this is a land ruled by two sister princesses, Celestia and Luna. Celestia is the elder sister, she raises the sun. Luna is the younger, she raises the moon. But how did these two ever come to rule Equestria? The truth is that nopony is really sure, not even Celestia herself. Nopony knows where they came from, who their parents were, and how they became the twin rulers of Equestria. Many argue that they're alicorns, which means that they must be from some land beyond Equestria. Some more 'colorful' types believe that they came down from outer space. Another debated topic is their age. Because of how long it's been recorded that they've been in Equestria, Celestia must at least be four-thousand years old, and Luna at least three-thousand. Whatever their origins are, they're our rulers, which means that they deserve all respect no matter how old they are or where they come from. _

* * *

Arthur stared at the page of the heavy book in front of him, trying to process the information as he read it to himself. He had been in the library for a few long hours now, researching all he could about this new world that he was in. While he was still stuck here, he figured that he could at least spend his time trying to learn something about his situation. He had gone through almost all of the books, trying to find information on a situation similar to his. But nothing was found. It made Arthur feel hopeless. Once again, he though of all the other countries back in his own world, and a ping of sorrow hit him. Then he thought of America and felt the same ping, though then it felt more like a crossbow bolt had been shot through his chest. He didn't want to fall in love with America, but it was too late that he realized he already had.

Arthur stopped reading long enough to crumple down to the library floor, drowning in misery and confusion. His stomach rumbled with hunger, but he was too fatigued to eat. He just wanted to go back, even if it meant facing all the overbearing troubles of his country. He just wanted to see America again.

* * *

_Ugh…_

Alfred slowly regained his senses as he woke up from his deep sleep. The smell of coffee hit him, and he turned his head. A stab of pain hit the inside of his mind.

Then, everything came rushing back to him.

What had happened to England, the dream, the ponies. He shot his hand up to his face and saw that it was just his normal human hand, not a hoof. His head was filled with thoughts that were so real to him, but had happened while he was sleeping, while he was a pony. A slight rush of tears hit him once again as he remembered the hospital visit. He sprawled back onto his couch.

"Mister America?" asked a familiar voice, causing America to jump slightly.  
"I'm sorry to have startled you, America-san, but you seemed to have had a bad time rast night and I came over to make sure you were okay."  
America gave a slight sigh of relief. It was only Japan.  
"It's fine, Japan." He said.  
"I made you some coffee, it's armost done." Japan said.  
"Thank you. What time is it?"  
"About two in the afternoon."  
"_What?_ How long have I been out?"  
"A very rong time, about eighteen hours."

America jumped up off the couch, grabbing his bomber jacket and pouring a giant mug of coffee, which he downed in less than a minute. He headed towards the door.

"Hey thanks for the help, Japan. I'll be back here in a few hours."

"No probrem, Mister America."

Alfred headed out, keeping his head high when he passed the other countries, though he felt as if he were dying inside.

* * *

Alfred put his head in his hands. He had intended to visit Arthur in the hospital, but once again, they kicked him out. He hated it. He wanted to be angry, but he couldn't. All he felt was numbness. Helpless, cold, numbness.  
He looked at the clock. It was about five-thirty. All that America wanted to do was sleep, after his unsuccessful day. He imagined that a lot of his days were going to be like this, at least for the next couple of weeks. Until England was better.  
Alfred arrived home, it was six o'clock. Once again, he laid down on the couch, his stomach feeling like an empty pit. Japan had already left. America gave a painful sigh as he let the sleep take over him.

* * *

Arthur sobbed quietly. He had gone through almost all the books in the library, and still nothing on how to get back to his home. However, he did learn some information on the world in which he was stuck. But nothing on how to leave.

"I'm home!" Twilight exclaimed, trotting through the door. "I learned some from Pinkie Pie, I'll tell you about it later. Oh, and by the way, Pinkie's having a party at seven. It's pretty much mandatory for you to go to. And if I were you, I would be there. You wouldn't want to miss a Pinkie Pie party. "

Arthur nodded. Sure, he would go, as long as they had some alcohol. He had nothing else to do. "Okay, I'll go. "

Twilight smiled. "Good, you won't regret it. I have to be there early, so I'm leaving. Remember, it's at seven, and you have to be there. Bye. "

"Bye. " Arthur said as Twilight walked out. He should probably start to get ready, too.

Arthur walked upstairs, and packed his stuff. However, just as he was ready, his tiredness took over and he fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

It was happening again.

Falling through space and time, the twisting, the bending. Except this time, it was slightly less jarring for Alfred. The different sounds and colors flashed by a little smoother this time, and Alfred welcomed it.

"_Alfred!"_ shrieked the voice of Pinkie Pie. Before he could process what had happened, he was enveloped in a cluster of pink and furriness.  
"_P-Pinkie Pie_?" Alfred stuttered, struggling out from the pony's grasp.  
"What in the name of cupcakes happened to you? You disappeared! Like, _FWOOM!_ Into thin air!"  
"Disappeared…?"  
"Yeah! Me and Fluttershy were so worried about you! Are you sure you're not a unicorn? Because unless there was some sort of interdimensional rift or  
something, then there was no way you could have done that yourself." She said, pulling back his hair to see if there was any sort of hidden horn.  
"No…I just…woke up."  
"Woke up? From what?"  
"I just woke up."  
Pinkie gave him a very strange look.  
"Are you suuuuure?"  
"Yeah." Alfred said, then looked around him. He was at the same place where he had faded out before, in front of Fluttershy's cottage, which now seemed to be closed and locked. Fluttershy must have not been home. Alfred wondered how long Pinkie had been standing in the spot where he disappeared.  
"Okie-dokie-lokie! NOW LET'S GO!" she shouted, her body moving so quick that Alfred almost bawled over. Pinkie seemed to be dragging him with her, towards town. As he was being dragged, Alfred managed to get steady on his feet, and began to gallop. He remembered the wings at his side. He began to stroke them up and down, and in a few seconds, he seemed to have caught a draft and was hovering a few inches off the ground. He didn't know where he was being taken, but he was having fun getting there. He felt free. Wait, of course he was free, he was America for god's sake. And you can't get more free than America.

"STOOOOPP!" Pinkie shouted. Alfred stuck his front legs into the ground, stopping himself but jarring his wings. A slight shockwave of pain ran through both of his wings.  
In front of them was a building, filled with lights and surrounded by balloons.  
"Where is this?"  
"This is Sugarcube Corner, silly! Where the party is!"  
"Party….oh! I forgot."  
Pinkie Pie suddenly pushed her face close to Alfred's, leering.  
"You _do not_ forget a Pinkie Pie party."  
"Okay, sorry dude."  
"It's fine!" Pinkie said with a giggle, bouncing away into the building. Alfred watched her walk inside, feeling strange. Oh well, it's just Pinkie Pie.

He walked up to the building. As soon as he took a step forward, the overpowering smell of baked goods and sweetness hit his snout. The smell seemed to lull him forward with each step. If there was one thing he loved more than England, it was food.

He walked into the building.

All around, ponies were dancing around and doing other various party-type things. In the center of the large room was a dance floor. And in the center of the dance floor was none other than Pinkie Pie.

Alfred walked up to her.

"Pinkie?"  
"YEAH?" she shouted, obviously overtaken by the party spirit. Alfred loved parties, of course, just not right now. Not with what had been happening in his life.  
"I was wondering…what exactly is this party supposed to be celebrating?"  
"You, silly!"  
"_Me?!"  
_"Yeah! And a few other ponies, too. See, every time a new pony comes into town, we have a party for them! And it just so happens that you and a few other  
ponies came here around the same time, so we're having a party for all of you!"  
"Aw, hell yeah!" Alfred exclaimed. His mood brightened considerably. Well, he was at a party for _himself_, so he might as well enjoy it while it lasted.  
"Say, what time will the party over?"  
"Almost everypony will be leaving at nine, but you can stay for as long as you want."  
"_Aw Yeah!_" Alfred once again exclaimed.

Alfred ran over to the table where the baked goods laid, and immediately started to shove them into his mouth one by one. These were some of the best cakes he had ever tasted, even better than the ones in the real world. Though, at this point, Alfred really wasn't sure what constituted as 'the real world' anymore.

Eventually, a small crowd of ponies began to bunch around him, yelling for him to scarf down more. And Alfred obliged, his stomach growing bloated as more and more sweets were plummeted down into his throat.

Then the baked goods ran out.

Alfred stopped, looking at all the ponies around him. Some were laughing at his cartoonishly misshapen form, others looked pissed that he ate all the cupcakes. But eventually, more sweets were put out. But Alfred decided not to eat any more. He didn't want to get fat.

Then he spotted the hard cider.

Alfred ran straight to it, sweeping by the orange mare who was organizing the collection. She gave him an annoyed glance, but didn't stop his advances.

He began to down the mugs in the same way he downed the sweets, pouring the frothy liquid down his throat. The cider was indeed strong, as he was tipsy after only about four drinks. He continued, until eventually, he was wasted. By this point, the mare that had been running the stand had fled, not wanting the drunk pegasus around her.

"Were'ves Pinkie?" he slurred. A few of the surrounding ponies didn't even look at him, just hoping he wouldn't barf on them.

Alfred continued to bobble around, occasionally flapping his wings but failing to lift his bloated body off the ground. He didn't care that he was drunk, he intended for that to happen. As long as it made him forget about England.

* * *

"_Bollocks!"_ Arthur shouted as he looked at the clock. In his fatigue, he had fallen asleep, and now he would be late for the party. He didn't even know where the party was being held, but based on the sounds he heard coming from the east, he assumed it was at the Dance Hall.

Arthur grabbed his collar and tie, put it on, and ran out the front of the library.

* * *

Alfred continued on, bumping and stumbling into ponies. At one point, he ran into a pegasus with a blue coat and rainbow mane, and proceedingly got his ass bucked. He barely noticed the pain, though. Suddenly, Alfred grew tired, rambling into one of the corners and falling to his knees. He was slightly less drunk now, just incredibly fatigued and confused. He noticed that ponies were starting to leave. He wanted to leave too. He began to stumble towards the door, trying his best not to hurl his guts up. He occasionally gave a slurred giggle.

* * *

Arthur walked up to the building. The double doors were now streaming with ponies, all waving goodbye to each other. He wanted to at least talk to this 'Pinkie Pie' before he left. He walked inside. The crowds were a lot clearer now. He wondered where Twilight was.

* * *

Alfred continued towards the door. Out of the corner of his blurred vision, he saw an unfamiliar pony walk in. Weaving on his hooves towards where the other pony was, they crashed into each other.

* * *

"What the bloody hell? Watch where you're going you-" he was stopped by the sight of a pair of hazy crystal blue eyes right in front of his face. He felt his heart leap to his throat, a feeling so strong that he almost fainted. The next thing he knew, he was sucked into a tight embrace as the snout of the other creature came in contact with his, the creature's breath tightly laced with the smell of alcohol.


	7. Chapter 7

Arthur didn't know what hit him.

His head ached; his body was weak and fatigued. He was lying beaten and bruised, in a room that was pitch black, inside a world he didn't belong to. He could tell that he had been unconscious for quite some time, due to the moon now shining brightly through the small peephole a little ways from where Arthur laid.

Then he heard the shallow breathing.

He wasn't alone in the room, as he could clearly hear and feel the presence of another pony somewhere close.

Then Arthur remembered what happened.

There he was, being snogged on by some wanker, when a few kicks were landed on him by a third pony. He didn't know who the attacker was, all he saw was a flash of dark purple. He needed to find out who the other pony in the room was. Maybe the other pony knew where they were, and how to get out.

Carefully, Arthur followed the sound of breathing towards where the other pony lay. Fumbling around in the dark, he nudged the other pony on what he assumed was the shoulder.

"Mmhh.." said the other pony.  
"Oh, wake up, will you? I need you to tell me where we are."  
"….who are you?" the voice asked. Arthur felt a strange flutter in his stomach, but he wasn't sure why.  
"That's not important."  
"Take me back…I'm sorry…take me back…"

Arthur then knew what the fluttering was about. That voice. The fluttering was growing stronger, he could feel his heart pounding in his ears. It wasn't America. It couldn't be. He needed to take deep breaths, that was all. Deep breaths.

Then he heard sobbing.

The scent of alcohol once again wafted off of the creature and into Arthur's snout. Damn, this must be the pony who tried to snog him last night. The pony would have to pay for that later, Arthur was too hurt and tired to do anything. He just wanted to get the hell out of this place. The poor drunken bastard.

"You don't understand, you wouldn't…" The pony continued, "I'm just a sorry son of bitch, I hurt the one I love, I just want to get back to where I came from. But at the same time, I want to stay here forever…I don't know who you are, but I can't help you, I'm not a hero…"

No. That voice. It kept making Arthur's stomach churn, his heart pound. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Then he remembered those eyes, that warmth, that smell….

He continued listening to the other pony's sobbing.

"I don't deserve to be here anyways, I just want to be a savior, but I'm too stupid to help anyone…I just want to forget everything that happened, I just want to forget, I want to die and see my Iggy again…."

An indescribable wave of numbness hit Arthur's chest. He felt oddly calmed. But he was still filled with feelings he couldn't describe. Like there was some sort of system overload in his brain, like he was feeling so many different emotions at once that his mind just shut down. He gave a deep breath.

"But your Iggy isn't dead." Arthur said calmly.  
"He might as well be…and it's my fault…"  
"It's not your fault, America."  
_"You don't know that!"_

Arthur gave a frustrated sigh.

"Tell my why it's your fault."  
"I was the one who got him hurt…I'm just so stupid…stupid…." Alfred repeated, smacking his hoof violently against his own head. Arthur was overtaken by pity and affection for America. Arthur wasn't for romance. But now is the time where it could save America's sanity. Arthur had so much he wanted to tell America…so much he just wanted to speak out, to get America to realize how much he cared for him and how much he loved him…

Arthur nudged closer. He prepared for what he was about to say.

"Alfred. Look at me."

He felt Alfred's movement in the dark room.

"Do you know who I am?" Arthur asked.  
"I know it's you, but it's not _really_ you…You're not really there. You're not really there, I'm just dreaming, but I just want you back, England…"  
"Calm down."

Alfred's voice began to rise to a panicked tone.

"But you're not there, you'll never wake up, you're not really here. It's just a dream, just a dream, and soon I'll wake up and see Kiku and Matthew and Francis and-"  
"America, it's me."

Suddenly, a burst of light flickered into view. Arthur looked around to see where they were, and then realized that they were in some sort of bathroom. The moon shone through a small window, the light that had just come emanated from a small dusty lightbulb hanging in the far corner. Then Arthur looked down and saw Alfred, who was now in clearer view. The same blue eyes. The same crescent-shaped hair curl. Bent glasses.

Alfred looked up. His heart beat so furiously that he felt as if it were going to burst out of his chest. It was the pony he ran into in his drunkenness. He remembered seeing those grass-green eyes, and just losing control. Shame burned into him.

"Iggy…" Alfred moaned, then sobbed even harder than before. Arthur felt even more pity for him, and he himself began to cry. He felt weak. But at least his Alfred was here, right in front of him, though it was still quite hard to believe.

"Alfred, listen…" Arthur began, "I just want you to know that I love you. Okay? Whatever happened that sent me to this place, I forgive you. I love you, Alfred. And you know I never say these sorts of things to anyone, but you're special, and you're the one who deserves it the most. And God knows that I couldn't have missed you more. We'll make it out of this place, together, somehow. I don't know what this world is or why we're here. But we can escape."

Tears streamed down both of their faces. Alfred continued to stare straight into Arthur's eyes.

"I'm sorry…" Alfred sobbed, "I just…I love you too, Arthur. I know you probably don't think that I do, but I really couldn't love you more. I was just afraid of how you'd react, of how you'd think of me...when the truth is, I've had a crush on you for longer than I can remember..."

At that moment, something overtook Arthur. Was it affection? Was it worry? Whatever it was, Arthur then reached down to Alfred, stuck out his snout, and kissed him passionately.

* * *

A few minutes later, Arthur withdrew and once again looked down at Alfred. Alfred's face was still tearstained, yet his eyes were clear and bright. Arthur couldn't help but smile. But at the same time, he felt awful strange. He didn't feel like himself. Was this what France always felt like, he wondered? No, it wasn't really hornyness, exactly. It was passion. Affection. All for the one that he always sort of hated, but secretly enjoyed the company of. Damn, he was starting to soften up. Bloody America.

"Thanks, England." Alfred said.

But then, Alfred looked as if he had been stabbed. He shot straight up, and began to jerk around.

"No, England, meet me here again tomorrow kay? I have to go, I'm-" Alfred said quickly, before disappearing into thin air.

Arthur stood, dumbstruck. What just happened? He felt torn. He had just gotten Alfred back, when he was just as suddenly taken from him. Where did Alfred go? Did he go back to the real world? Would he come back? How did that happen? Though, Alfred did say to meet him back in the same spot tomorrow. And Arthur would be there, most definitely.

Arthur fumbled around, looking for the door out of the bathroom. He still wondered how he got in here. He was probably beaten up by one of the other ponies for being kissed by Alfred, and was thrown in here. He needed to get back home. Twilight was probably worried about him.

Arthur opened the door quietly, looking out. Yes, he was indeed in the bathroom of the Dance Hall. Those bastards, why couldn't they have at least taken him somewhere a little more decent? Oh well, He was still alive, that's all that mattered. At least, he thought he was alive. He really wasn't even sure.

Fortunately, as Arthur walked out of the bathroom and across the dark and abandoned dance hall, he realized that the door was unlocked. Which he actually though was really stupid, as anyone could walk in and steal shit at any point in time. Maybe those tossers knew he was in there. Maybe they were watching him, on camera, right now. Then he thought of the scene in the bathroom. That would be a hard one to explain, Arthur thought to himself as he walked out into the cold but peaceful night.


	8. Chapter 8

"Mister_ America, Mister America!"_

Alfred could barely hear the voice of Japan as he was shaken awake.

"Mister America, you've been asreep for severar hours."  
"What...?"  
"You really need to wake up, America. You've been dreaming."

Alfred slowly picked himself up off the couch, stretching out his arms and yawning.

"Wait, how did you know I was dreaming?" he asked.  
"Your breathing was irregurar, and your eyes were frickering. Arso, the air around you was quite intense."

"Alfred smirked. "Of course."

Japan shuffled around the room, sipping on a small cup of tea.  
"You know, I'm starting to get quite worried about Britain-san. How rong is he going to be in there?" Japan asked.

America sighed. "I'm really not sure, Japan. I'm still trying to get them to let me see him. They don't know how long he's going to be in that coma, but they say it might be a while." he said, then realized that he never really told any of the other countries what happened to England. He would probably have to tell them soon, before they all had a panic attack. But Alfred didn't want to tell them. He just wanted to keep it all a secret, at least for now. Just a secret between him, Japan, and England. But it was kind of hard to keep secrets from people that could rally up against you at any second.

"Oh, and Japan...thanks for taking care of me." Alfred said with a smile. Japan turned to him with a slightly surprised look on his face, which startled Alfred. He was just so used to Japan's constant emotionless mask.

"Oh, why thank you, America-san."  
"No probs. I'm heading out, okay?"  
"Okay."

Alfred threw on his jacket, adjusted his glasses, and headed out the door.

* * *

Alfred sighed. He was walking down the street to England's house. He didn't know why, he just felt it as his duty. Since England was gone, Alfred figured it to be his responsibility to hold up the place while he was gone.

Walking up to the house, Alfred pulled out a key from his back pocket. No, England didn't give him the key, Alfred had taken it from him. It had actually been really easy to take, he just stole it out from underneath the potted plant in front of the door. Alfred didn't really know what compelled him to take the key, but just having the key gave him some strange satisfaction. As if he could just walk into England's house at any moment. It was sort of comforting. Slightly creepy, but comforting.

Alfred placed the key into the brass handle, turning it slowly.

As soon as he walked inside, he was hit by a scent that made his heart skip a beat. It wasn't any certain smell, just a combination of things; tea, grass, city smoke, bad cooking. It wasn't a bad smell. Not a bad smell at all. It reminded him of all the days he spent with England, all the times they were close by each other. And to Alfred, that smell had become a drug. He couldn't even begin to describe how it felt. It just made him want more.

Alfred flicked on the lights. The house was surprisingly messy, the floor strewn with various papers and other trash. Strange, Alfred had only been over a few days ago, and England hadn't been here since then. Maybe, in his excitement to see England, Alfred had just neglected observing the house. Speaking of which, Alfred wondered what had happened to the maids that worked for England. Alfred couldn't recall seeing them either, England must have fired them or something. No wonder the house was trashed.

Walking through the living room, down the hall, and into the bedroom, Alfred felt his heart flutter once again. The bedroom was just as he left it, dirty tea cups sitting on a table beside the empty bed. The lights were dim, the walls a pale off-white.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Alfred spotted something that he hadn't noticed before. Spilling out from underneath the bed was a bottle of painkillers, as well another sort of pills that he didn't recognize. Underneath the bottles were a small bunch of papers, ripped and crumpled. Stepping over some of the various trash that littered the floor, Alfred picked up the bottles and read them. The ones that had been spilled were, as he suspected, painkillers. The other bottle, which he realized was almost empty, was labeled as antidepressants. Why had England been taking so much of them? Pushing the pile of pills and bottles away, Alfred picked up the papers. He unfolded the first one, careful not to tear the withered scroll, and began reading.

* * *

_and then Francis, being the true gentleman that he is, reminded me that everyone's got a someone, everyone's got a love waiting for them. Thanks for the hint, jackass. _

_-AK_

* * *

Alfred then began to shuffle through the other papers, looking for the note that preceded it. But he didn't find it. And the writing on all the other papers seemed to be either erased or inked out. Alfred found it very strange, but didn't really think much more of it.

Alfred looked around once again. There really wasn't much else to the room.

Then Alfred got an idea.

He could stay in Arthur's house, at least for the time being. That way, when England woke up from the coma and made his way back home, then the house would have been cleaned up and such. Also, Alfred admitted to himself, because he wanted to stay where he could be surrounded by the smell of his boyfriend.

_Boyfriend_.

Alfred repeated and cycled the word around in his mind. He remembered the night previous. Yes, he still felt shame for his drunkenness, even though he still thought of what happened as only a dream. The words that the dream England said to him. The kiss. England wasn't his boyfriend. Yet in the dream, it was as if he actually was.

Alfred got up an sat on the bed. Absentmindedly, he began to rub his fingers to his lips and mouth, something that he did whenever he thought of England. A lot of times, he didn't even notice that he was doing it until later. He remembered how when the England-pony kissed him, he had smelt that same smell that had been so familiar and addictive to him. And how he enjoyed it. But again, he was left wondering how real the dreams really were. Alfred hadn't gained any weight and hadn't woken up drunk, so whatever happened while he was a pony didn't affect him in real life. But Alfred loved that world. He loved it and he hated it. He knew it wasn't real; there was no way it could be, no way England could actually be there. It killed him. It killed him that it wasn't actually happening. And when England actually woke up, then it would go back to what it used to be. England would be his same old cynical self, Alfred would go back to harboring a secret crush.

But the dream, it seemed so real, Alfred could almost still taste England on his lips...

Alfred laid back down onto the bed. He sniffed in the smell of his love, giving a small sigh of ecstasy as he breathed it in. He began to grow sleepy again. Why was he always so tired? He had work to do, but was always too fatigued to do it. But he didn't mind. He would welcome the dream, hoping that England had waited for him...

* * *

"Oh, _bugger_." Arthur muttered to himself. He stood in front of the door to the Dance Hall, which had been locked.

It was a peaceful morning, warm and sunny. Plants were beginning to spring up from the ground, surrounding Ponyville in a mirage of colors. Arthur was waiting, waiting for the time when he would be allowed inside the Dance Hall. Why was it that only last night it was left unlocked, yet in the hour when he actually wanted to get in, he wasn't able to?

After the party last night, Arthur had returned to the library. As he had expected, there was Twilight Sparkle, wondering what had happened and why he looked like he had been crying. "Oh, it's nothing, really. " Arthur had responded. After that, he immediately went to bed. He woke up the next morning, had another slight panic attack, then went to the Dance Hall again to see if America was there yet. And here he was, staring at the door with a forlorn look on his tired features.

And then Arthur turned around, and was immediately ambushed by a pink mass.

"_Hiiiiiii_!" The pony shouted, grabbing ahold of him and hugging. Arthur jumped and swore madly underneath his breath as the pony backed away a foolish grin. Looking at the pony who had almost smothered him, he quickly assumed it was Pinkie Pie, due to all the...pink.

"Get off, you...nevermind. I'm assuming you're Pinkie?"

"Yeppers! Pinkie Pie, at your service. " she said, feigning a British accent. It made Arthur wonder if she was making fun of him. "Do ya need the door unlocked?"

"Um, yes please. " Arthur said.

"Okay!" she said with a skip, barely pushing on the door with her front left hoof. It opened without her even looking at it. "There ya go!"

"How did you...nevermind. Thank you. "

"Yer welcome!" she said, skipping inside. Arthur followed in after her.

The room was how it was left last night, empty and dark. Pinkie flipped on the lights. The bright overhead lights flicked on one by one.

"Say, why'd you wanna get in here anyways? " Pinkie asked. Arthur blinked.

"Oh, I, uh...left something in here. "

Pinkie looked suspicious at first, then turned to her usual hyper self. "Okay!"

Ignoring Pinkie, Arthur carefully stepped over to the bathroom and opened the door. No Alfred.

Arthur muttered to himself in annoyance.

However, just as Arthur stepped away to find Pinkie, a small shockwave seemed to go off in the middle of the cramped bathroom. A bright light flashed in front of Arthur's eyes, blinding him momentarily. There was silence. All that Arthur heard was a tiny _pop_ somewhere in front of him, and when he opened his eyes, America-pony was lying in the middle of the bathroom floor. Arthur once again felt a rush shoot to his chest and stomach.

"America!" Arthur called. America looked up at him with hazy eyes. Then, all of the sudden, it looked as if something had clicked in America's mind, and his eyes lit up.

"Iggy...?" He muttered. "I didn't expect to see you again. "

"I've been here the whole time, you twit. Now get up. "

America gave a slight laugh, climbing onto his four hooves. "Right. " he said.

"What in the name of Equestria is going on in there? Oh, hey Alfred!" Pinkie shouted from behind Arthur. "Have you been in the bathroom all this time? No wonder you wanted to get in here, Arthur!"

Both Arthur and Alfred laughed nervously. "Heh, yeah..."

"Welp, I'm gunna leave you two alone. Bye now!" Pinkie said with a giggle, bouncing out the door. Arthur watched her skip down the road.

"What a strange pony..." he said to himself. Alfred approached him.

"Yeah, that's Pinkie Pie for you. " he said.

"Hey America...do you...do you know how I got here?" Arthur asked suddenly, turning to Alfred as they sat down on the side of the empty dance floor.

"What do you mean?"  
"Like, what happened after you took me to that coffee place?"  
Alfred looked at him, startled. "You mean you don't know what happened?"

"Yeah."

Alfred sighed heavily. "You were hit by a car, remember? You're in a _coma_. "

_"A what?! _For how long?"  
"A few days, now..."  
""When am I gonna wake up?"  
"They don't know."  
"So I'm in the hospital?"  
"Yeah."  
"And this whole thing is what I've been dreaming since I fell into that coma?"  
"I guess so." Alfred said with a tired sigh.  
"Is that really you, America?"  
"What?"  
"Are you really there? Or am I dreaming? I know I have to be dreaming..."  
"What?_ You're_ the one in _my_ dream. _I'm_ the one who's just imagining that you're there."  
"No, America."  
"What?"  
"I'm really here."

Alfred gave a sarcastic snort. Arthur wanted to reason with the stubborn man; or pony, in this case; but he knew that would be impossible.

"Look, America," Arthur began, "Let's make a deal between the two of us."  
"What is it?"  
"The deal is that we have to both accept that this is real and that we're not just imagining eachother. "  
"...What are you talking about? We are."  
"Just agree with the deal, dammit."  
"...okay. But why?

"Because, America, " he said, standing up, "While I'm here, while I'm in this world, I've decided that I want to make the most of it. I'm going to live out here what I could have never done back home. And I'm going to do it while I'm in what you say is a coma, before I wake up. And the thing is..." he paused, his face blushing slightly. He felt stupid saying it, but he continued. "...And the thing is, I want to live it out with you, America. While you're here, with me."


	9. Chapter 9

"Arthur?"

"Yes, Alfred?"

"Does this mean that I'm your boyfriend now?"

Arthur gave a tired smile. I suppose so."

Alfred leapt up, his wings flapping. "Aw, sweet! This is freakin' awesome, dude! I'll be sleeping all day! You don't know how long I've waited for this!" Suddenly, Alfred stopped bouncing around, his face falling. "But...how will we spend time together if you're still in a coma?"

"That's simple. While you're asleep, you're here with me, and when I wake up, we keep going on as our normal selves. Okay?"

"Okay!" Alfred said, his joy returning.

"But until I wake up, promise not to tell any of the other countries, okay? Not that they would believe you anyways..."

"I promise."

"Good."

Alfred suddenly looked worried, heading over towards the door. "C'mon, Arthur. I need to go talk to Fluttershy, to make sure she isn't worried about me."

Arthur nodded in agreement, following him out of the dance hall.

* * *

The newly formed couple walked peacefully through the streets of Ponyville, admiring the view that they saw as they passed. They noticed that the ground was somewhat wet, as if it had been raining recently.

"Hey..." Alfred began, "Do you think we should put on clothes?"

"Clothes...?"

"Yeah...I'm starting to feel kinda vulnerable..."

Arthur tried to hide the blush that arose to his face as he realized that they were both bare-flanked. "No, I don't even think we could find clothes. And we're already weird enough to these other ponies, that would just make us look stranger."

"Oh yeah, true."

* * *

They could both see Fluttershy's cottage a little ways away.

"Is this the house of the pony you're staying with?" Arthur asked.

Alfred nodded. "Yep. I think you'll like Fluttershy. She's pretty quiet."

Suddenly, a fierce growling noise erupted from somewhere beside them.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Arthur asked.

_"Timberwolves!" _a voice called out from somewhere near them, echoing around.

"Timberwolves? What are those? They sound awesome!" Alfred said.

Several ponies began to run into every nearby building, as bells began to sound. Arthur and Alfred stood, dumbstruck, as this all happened around them.

"Where's Fluttershy?" Alfred asked. He looked up to the cottage and realized that it was empty, the lights dark and the door shut. He gulped.

"Uh...Alfred, I think maybe we should get out of here..." Arthur said uncertainty. Alfred laughed.

"Psh, I dunno what these creatures are, but they can't defeat America. C'mon, come at me br-"

The beasts pounced out of the forest, two of them, arboreal bodies pounding along the soft ground. These were creatures who would attack the first pony that was near them, which happened to be Alfred and Arthur.

"Fuck." Arthur said.

The timberwolves suddenly stopped, snarling and circling around the two helpless ponies. The two countries stood, back to back, as the creatures trod around them.

"Dammit America...we're trapped..."

"Aw, don't worry, love. I'm the hero, remember?" Alfred said. He then turned to the wolves and began to pulse his wings, leaning back on his haunches. "Now watch this..." he said, abruptly kissing Arthur, then leaping into the sky.

_"America!" _Arthur called, swearing under his breath. Always the headstrong America.

"Come at me now, _motherfuckers!_" Alfred shouted, launching headstrong at the first timberwolf. Arthur felt a rush of panic, calling out to Alfred but not being heard.

Alfred hopped on the timberwolf's back, riding it as if it were some sort of horse. The wolf bucked up and down as Alfred directed it towards the nearest tree. Meanwhile, the other wolf ignored what was happening and approached the petrified Arthur.

But Arthur was bloody Great Britain, a measly wood-wolf wasn't going to take him down. Though, admittedly, he was more worried about America than he was about himself.

Suddenly, just as the timberwolf was about to rush on Arthur, he felt a strangely powerful force rush to the horn on his head. It was like there was a built up power that needed to be released. Arthur's mind raced, and he began to frantically think of a black magic spell he could use against the wolf. And then, in the heat of the moment, he remembered.

_"Ignis accendo."_

And in a confusing flash of light and power, a beam of orange light shot out from his horn and hit the wolf. It burst into flames.

A horrible, screeching howl rent the air, as the engulfed timberwolf crumpled to the ground. In less than a few seconds, the beast fell apart, shriveled branches burning and falling into a pile of ash.

Arthur smiled. "Sod off."

The other timberwolf turned, standing over the beaten America. It stopped attacking America, bent down, and howled. The sound was deafening. After a few seconds, it ran off into the forest, limping. Alfred and Arthur were left to stare at eachother in shock.

"Well that was...abrupt..." Alfred said getting back onto his hooves with a painful grimace.

"You know, _America, _maybe it would have been wiser if you hadn't charged right at them." Arthur said, anger in his voice. Alfred blanched at the harsh tone in his voice.

"H-hey, I was just trying to protect you..."

Arthur sighed, trying to keep his cool. It had suddenly become hard to stay mad at the American, with his childish demeanor and unfaltering pride. But inside, he knew the real reason why he couldn't stay mad at Alfred; because he loved him.

"You almost died."

"Not really...just lighten up, will you?"

_"Lighten up? _I almost had a panic attack!"

"Whatever." Alfred said stubbornly.

Arthur's voice rose slightly. "Do you know what would happen if you were really seriously injured?"

"No." Alfred said defeatedly.

"I would _die_."

Alfred sputtered. "_What?_ What do you mean?"

Arthur's voice suddenly grew tired and defeated. "I don't know how I'd live if I knew you might die."

Shame burned in Alfred's heart. "I'm sorry."

Now it was Arthur's turn to sputter. "You're really sorry?"

Alfred gave him a strange look. "Yeah."

Arthur then realized how strange it was that the prideful country was actually admitting to his mistake. Then he remembered the night that they met in this world, how Alfred said he was so terribly sorry, and Arthur suddenly realized how sad their situation really was.

Arthur came over to the tired America and nuzzled his neck, admiring the silky warmth of the chocolate-brown fur. "I forgive you."

"Are you sure? You're really not one to forgive." Alfred said with a smirk. Arthur blushed.

"Look, I forgive you, okay?" he said with annoyance.

"It's okay." Alfred replied, nuzzling Arthur back.

"Say...what happened to all the other ponies? Wait, there's a few." Arthur said. A few of the ponies began to come out of the houses, all looking at Arthur and Alfred incredulously. There were two ponies in particular that were running towards them; Fluttershy and the orange pony that Alfred recognized, with guilt, from the party.

"What happened here? Where's the timberwolves?" The orange pony asked, with a noticeable southern drawl. Alfred liked this pony.

"Oh my...are you okay?" Fluttershy asked timidly.

Alfred hopped up. "Never been better!" he said, with slightly strained pridefulness.

"Y'all sure you're okay? Them timberwolves are mighty fierce..." the orange pony asked again. Both Arthur and Alfred nodded.

Suddenly, four more ponies came running towards them; Pinkie Pie, Twilight, and a cerulean pegasus and elegant white unicorn that neither Arthur nor Alfred recognized.

"That was awesome!" the pegasus said, "My name's Rainbow Dash, what's yours?"

"My name's Alfred, or America, and this is Iggy, or England." Alfred responded.

Rainbow Dash gave him a strange look. "Say, haven't I seen you before? Weren't you that drunkard at the party a few nights ago?"

Alfred once again blanched, what felt like a knife stabbing through his heart. "Yes..." he said through gritted teeth.

"Huh."

"That was magic I haven't seen for a while, Arthur!" shouted Twilight Sparkle. "Why didn't you tell me you were that advanced?"

Arthur blushed. "Admittedly, it was sort of a 'spur of the moment' type thing..."

The orange pony stepped up. "I don't believe we've met before, so mah name's Applejack. Pleased ta' meet ya'."

Then the white pony stepped up, her shimmery purple mane bouncing in the sunlight. "Oh, and my name's Rarity. It's quite the pleasure, darling." she said with a flicker of her long eyelashes. Arthur had to buck Alfred lightly in the side to break him of a drooling stupor.

"Yes, pleased to meet all of you." Alfred said, blushing. "But we need to go now, I'll see you all later." he said, dragging Arthur with him as he trotted away from the scene. The other six ponies watched them as they walked away.

"Hm...they seemed to be in a hurry, didn't they?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Oh, did you see the way they were nuzzling eachother? They had _l'amour_ in their eyes, I saw it." Rarity said with a flick of her mane. Applejack rolled her eyes.

"Whatever happened, those sure are a pair of strange ponies..." Twilight said, all the other ponies shaking their head in agreement.

* * *

"Whew, got out of that one." Alfred said as they trotted through Ponyville. "Now what?"

Arthur shrugged.

"_Oh!_ We should go on a _date!_" Alfred exclaimed.

"America...are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Why not? We're dating now, aren't we?"

"Yeah, but..."

"You're not embarrassed by me, are you...?" Alfred asked with a sad look in his eyes. Arthur felt something in his heart snap.

"No...it's just...I'm afraid..."

Alfred looked at him with curiosity. "Of what?"

Arthur gave an exhausted sigh. "It's just...I'm afraid you'll leave me, America...that after I grow close to you, I'll lose you..."

"Why would you think that?"

"Ever since the revolution..."

Alfred felt a shockwave hit his body, surprised at the upbringing of the sensitive topic. "Oh..."

Suddenly, Alfred pulled Arthur behind the nearest shop, where he hugged him close. "I promise to never leave you for as long as I live, Arthur...and even beyond that..."

Tears began to form around Arthur's eyes. He had always been the stuffy England, the one who drove people away, the one who needed no one but himself...but now that his love was right here, he felt that America's presence was all that he ever needed...

"Thank you..." he muttered, his voice somewhat muted by Alfred's tight grip.

* * *

"I know what we could do!" Alfred said suddenly as they continued walking. Alfred turned right, dragging Arthur with him and beginning to trot faster.

"Where are we going?"

"I'll show you...I've been wanting to go here for a while. And...here it is!"

Arthur gasped. In front of them was a cliff, not a big one, but tall enough to where it would've made him sick to stand at the edge. It overlooked a rolling valley, the sun burning brightly against the green grass. Several miles away, he could see a sparkling city built into the edge of a rocky mountain; this he recognized as Canterlot, the home of the princesses.

"Wow, this is amazing, America..." Arthur said.

"Yeah, I spotted it a while ago, and I got curious..." he said, rubbing the back of his neck with a hoof. "I came here because there was something I wanted to try out."

"What?"

"Flying." he replied with a mischievous grin. Alfred took off Texas, placing the spectacles gently on the ground.

Arthur watched in amazement as Alfred began to pound his wings, the beat gradually increasing as he began to take off. And before Arthur could do anything to stop him, Alfred was up in the air, the sun glinting off his shiny coat.

_"This is amazing!" _Alfred called, laughing as he buzzed through the air. He flew in circles, going higher and lower each time. He glided somewhat easily, with occasional trips in his technique. Arthur laughed, hoping Alfred wouldn't hurt himself, and secretly wishing he could be flying in the air with Alfred.

Alfred glided down back onto the cliff edge, landing roughly, and approached Arthur curiously.

"Why the long face?" Alfred asked, then chuckled slightly at his own joke.

"What? No, nothing's wrong."

Alfred smirked. "You sure?"

"Positive."

Suddenly, Alfred grabbed Arthur, hoisting him into his arms with unrealistic ability. Arthur gaped, shocked, at his boyfriend's strength.

Arthur could hear the pounding of wings in his ears, catching him off guard. And before he knew it, he was being lifted into the air, his body flipped on top of Alfred's.

"America!" Arthur shouted, but he was ignored. He began to feel slightly nauseous as he was lifted, going farther up into the air.

Then Alfred really took off.

Soaring through the air, Arthur barely had time to catch his breath before he was accelerating through the sky. Though, for some reason, he felt oddly calm, being on the strong American's back. Alfred gradually slowed down his flying as Arthur saw they were above Ponyville. Arthur settled down slightly on Alfred's back, watching his wings pound elegantly at his side.

"Wow...America...are you sure you can hold my weight?"

"Hell yeah, easy." Alfred replied, though it seemed slightly labored.

They continued through the skies, almost circling the entirety of Ponyville before Alfred turned around. Arthur looked down, both at the town and at his boyfriend's head, and felt an overwhelming calm settle over him. As he gave out a contented sigh, he realized something: he was happy. For the first time in his life, he felt as if everything was perfect. He didn't care about all the shit that was going on at home, he was happy. Here with Alfred. He never realized all these years that happiness had been right in front of him, in the form of this prideful, brash, man-child.

He noticed that they were beginning to come back to the edge of the cliff, after what felt like forever in the air. However, just when Arthur thought they were about to take a landing, they swooped up into the air. Alfred dropped Arthur for just a millisecond, before catching him again in his arms at the front of his body.

Out of the corner of his eye, Arthur noticed a slight rainbow draping lazily across the sky. It wasn't much, but the little that was there was beautiful.

Then, still hovering in the air, Alfred kissed him directly on the snout, staying there for what felt like an eternity. Arthur felt somewhat ridiculous, staying in this romanticized, girlish dream world, as his love continued to smother him with his snout. But Arthur stilled enjoyed it, no matter how ridiculous it felt. Arthur still felt as if it were a dream, but it this moment, at this time, it felt as if it couldn't get any more real.

_ Happiness._

* * *

**((THE FLUFFINESS. IT BURNS.))**


	10. Chapter 10

Alfred looked slightly worriedly at the clock that hung over Ponyville City Hall. It was around four o'clock in this world, which meant that his human self had been asleep for quite some time. He hoped that something hadn't happened to him...though he remembered being safe inside Arthur's house, so hopefully nothing would get to him. Besides, though he felt strange admitting it to himself, he was happy in this world. With Iggy.

"So, Alfred, what are we going to do tonight? If you haven't woken up by that time, I mean..." Arthur said awkwardly.

"Psh, I dunno. What do you think?" Alfred replied.

Arthur gave an indifferent shrug. "I believe we need to get food, though...I can't remember the last time I ate..."

Alfred puffed thoughtfully. "Yeah, I haven't had a hamburger in days! A person just can't live like that, y'know? I wonder if they have a McDonalds anywhere..."

Arthur wanted to argue that he didn't want to eat such trashy 'food', but he decided to spare his boyfriend. "Very well, Alfred..."

Alfred then reached out and grabbed the nearest passing pony, a brown coated earth pony with blue eyes and an hourglass cutie mark. The pony gave a surprised jerk, then turned to Alfred, his eyes wide.

"Hey you," Alfred asked, "Do you know anywhere I could find some nice fast food?"

The pony stuttered. "Uh, excuse me, but I really have no idea..."

Arthur flinched with shock at the sound of the pony's voice, a British accent, quite similar to his. "Oh, that's fine. Pardon my friend." Arthur said, suddenly stepping into the conversation.

The other pony gave Arthur a strange but intrigued look. He then turned to Alfred. "Say, by any chance have you fellows seen a grey pegasus pony flying anywhere? Yellow mane? Crossed eyes?"

Alfred and Arthur both shook their heads. Arthur felt as if this pony was somehow very familiar...

"Oh...well, okay..." the pony said, walking away.

Alfred snorted. "Huh, that pony sounded just like you! A distant relative, perhaps?"

"He_ did_ seem awfully familiar..."

* * *

"Look! A coffee shop!" Alfred said, gesturing towards a quaint building towards the side of the road. "We could eat there!"

Arthur smiled slightly, realizing how famished he really was. "Yeah, that'd be nice."

They walked into the small shop, a bell dinging as they walked in. They were immediately hit by the sickly sweet smell of fresh cakes and pastries as well as rich, dark coffee. Arthur loved the smell. It reminded him of home, of days spent in peaceful contentment.

"Hello, how may I help you?" The mare at the counter said with a soft voice. The mare's coat was a forest green, her mane white.

"Oh, we want some food and coffee and stuff, bro."

The mare gave him a strange look. "Like what, sir...?"

Alfred looked at the menu that hung above her head. "I want six chocolate doughnuts, three blueberry scones, and two large cups of black coffee."

"That will be six bits."

"Six bits...?" Alfred said questioningly. "Is that, like, money...?"

"Here's six bits." Arthur said suddenly, pulling a handful of gold coins out from seemingly nowhere.

Alfred gave Arthur a questioning look, but took the coins from him and handed it to the cashier. At the same time, an orange coated unicorn stallion walked out a door behind her, levitating a bag with his horn. He handed the stuffed paper sack to the cashier.

"Here you are." she said, handing it to Alfred.

"Thanks, bro!" Alfred said, taking the bag in his mouth and skipping off with it. Arthur followed him out the door, wondering exactly where Alfred was leading him.

"Hey, where'd you get that money?" Alfred asked.

"Oh, Twilight gave me it just in case."

"Arthur! _Arthur!" _Came a familiar voice.

Both Alfred and Arthur stopped in their tracks outside the cafe's door as Twilight Sparkle came rushing toward them.

"What is it, Twilight?" Arthur asked as she stopped in front of them, a wild grin on her face.

_"I found a way through." _she said, barely containing her excitement. "You have to come with me."

"Can we at least eat first...?" Alfred whined. Twilight shot him an annoyed glance.

"Yes, as soon as we get there. But then I have to show both of you something."

* * *

"Come in. " Twilight said, leading the two into the house. Alfred immediately sat on the wooden floor and scarfed down the six doughnuts, swallowing the coffee in one gulp. Arthur did the same, but much slower and more like a sir. Twilight watched them impatiently, tapping a hoof. When both Arthur and Alfred were done, they approached Twilight.

"Okay, what did you want to show us, Ms. Sparkle?" Arthur asked, using a nearby napkin to wipe his mouth.

"Come with me, both of you!" She said, bouncing. She hopped down to a corner of the room, heading down a dark staircase.

Following the purple pony lead them to a strange basement, filled with machinery. The hum and buzz of electronics echoed throughout, bouncing off the stone walls. Both Arthur and Alfred gasped as their eyes looked into the middle of the room.

Standing there was what looked like a portal, pure white beams of light floating in a circle within midair. A slight, high pitched whining noise seemed to emanate from it, seeping into their ears. The light from it was brilliant in it's brightness. Attached to it was several wires leading to a pair of computers, as well as a dashboard.

"Dude...that's totally awesome..." Alfred mumbled as they approached it.

"It's a _dimension portal._ You can use it to get back home." She said proudly.

"Bloody hell...how'd you construct it?" Arthur asked, not believing what he was seeing.

"It's actually quite simple. I used a spell, with a little help from Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. These things have been built before, you know. You have to get a permit from Celestia to do it, which I already had"

"What does Fluttershy know about dimension portals...?" Alfred asked.

"Lots of things, actually. She knew even a little more about it than Pinkie. I asked her how she knew those things, and she said she read it from a book she found in my library."

Alfred grunted. "Strange..."

Arthur put his hoof down on the ground with some force, getting Twilight and Alfred's attention. "I have a question as well."

"What is it?" Twilight asked.

"Why did you do this for us?"

Twilight was clearly surprised by the question.

"Well...because I wanted to learn something from it. _Science_, you know."

"Is that all?"

"Heh...well, also because Pinkie wanted you guys to be happy back in your own universes...and because I told Celestia what was going on, and she agreed that it was important for the balance of the universe that you get back..."

"So you really believe that Alfred and I are from a different universe?"

"Yes, though I would normally never believe such ridiculousness."

"Why do you believe us?"

Twilight shrugged shyly, putting a hoof behind her head. "Heh, this isn't the first time something like this has happened, you know..."

Both Arthur and Alfred looked shocked. "What do you mean...?" Alfred asked incredulously.

"I mean...it's not the first time this has happened. There has been lots of evidence that ponies like you have come through here from other universes. No one knows why it happens...it just does."

Arthur thought back to the British-sounding pony that they had met earlier.

"So...you only now figured out how to make a portal...?" Arthur asked.

"No, portals have been made, just not by me. They're very dangerous rifts in time and space." Twilight replied.

There was an awkward silence as all three ponies processed the information they had just received. Eventually, Alfred took a step forward, his face seemingly determined.

"Well, if this will take us back and make Arthur wake up from the coma, then let's go." Alfred said.

Twilight looked confused. "Coma? What do you mean by coma?"

"You know, coma? How came here after he fell into a coma?"

"Coma..." Twilight said, as if the words were unfamiliar to her.

"Yeah..."

"Well, anyways, you can go through the portal anytime you wish." she said awkwardly, blushing slightly.

"No..." Alfred said, "I don't want to."

"What do you mean...?"

Alfred backed away from the portal, pushing Arthur back with him. "I don't want to go, not yet. Not while everything is perfect. Also, we still have to say goodbye to everyone...we can't just go..."

"Look, I don't want to see you go, but...you'll have to, eventually. You can't stay here forever."

"I know, but...just give Arthur and I one more night. Just one. And I promise, tomorrow morning, we'll go." Alfred said.

"O-okay..." Twilight said.

"We're going to go to Fluttershy's, okay?" Alfred said to both Arthur and Twilight. They nodded. As Arthur followed Alfred out, he looked back at Twilight, who was watching them go up the stairs.

"Thank you, Ms. Twilight." Arthur said, leaning his head down. Twilight nodded, smiling sadly.

* * *

_"You're going?"_ Pinkie whined. _"NO!"_

As tears began to pour down the pink pony's face, Alfred attempted to disguise his annoyed sigh. He loved Pinkie, but she certainty did overreact sometimes...

Arthur then hugged Pinkie awkwardly in an attempt to make her feel better, putting his hooves gently around her shoulders. She hugged him back tightly, almost strangling him.

"Now now, Pinkie...don't scare 'em off for real..." Applejack said. Pinkie let go of Arthur, sniffing.

"Well, my darlings, though we haven't known eachother for long, we're all terribly sad to see you go." Rarity said. "I bid you both a fond farewell."

"Eeyup..." Applejack said, tipping her stetson.

"Yes, thank you all, but it's about time we need to go..." Alfred said apprehensively.

"Y-yeah...bye..." Pinkie mumbled.

"Goodbye, darlings." Rarity said, first kissing Alfred on the cheek then kissing Arthur. Arthur remained stoic, but Alfred flushed bright red. "We'll miss you. Right, Rainbow Dash?" she said, nudging Rainbow slightly with her hoof.

"Oh. Yeah. Right." Rainbow said, almost absentmindedly.

"Well, bye..." Alfred said as he and Arthur walked away from the four ponies, towards Fluttershy's cottage.

* * *

"Oh...hello, Alfred..." Fluttershy said.

"Hello, Fluttershy. I need to talk to you."

Fluttershy ducked her head. "O-okay..."

Arthur and Alfred walked inside the cottage, surprised at the lack of noise and creatures running around. "What happened to all the animals?" Alfred asked.

"Oh, they're all out in the yard and forest. I needed some alone time, that's all."

"Oh...do you want us to leave?"

"No, no, it's fine..." she said.

"Oh..."" Alfred said, "Well, I needed to thank you for letting me stay, though I barely did, because Arthur and I are leaving tomorrow."

"Oh, did Twilight get the portal to work? That's good..." she said.

"Yeah, tomorrow morning..."

"Well, there's no need to thank me...it's fine, really...us ponies will miss you..."

"We'll miss you too, Fluttershy. Arthur and I are going to go to bed now."

Fluttershy looked behind Alfred at Arthur, and blushed. "Oh...u-uh...um..."

Both Alfred and Arthur immediately sensed what Fluttershy had assumed, and they too blushed.

"N-no, not like that, just...nevermind. Bye."

"Bye." Fluttershy said with her typical shy smile, which made Alfred's heart feel somehow warmer.

* * *

"Well, who's the grown up now, hm?" Arthur asked with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"You seem so...mature all the sudden. It's quite surprising."

Alfred waved a hoof. "Psh. I'm not mature at all, you know that. But something about having you here and having the ponies here just changes me..."

Arthur smiled. Gently, he crawled into the small bed. "This bed's pretty small, Alfred...I don't think both of us will fit..."

Alfred gave a mischievous smile as he crawled into the bed alongside Arthur. "We'll just gave to get closer to eachother, then."

Arthur chuckled gently as he felt Alfred's warmth surround him. Feathered wings were draped over his side as dark brown hooves held him close. There was a slight flicking noise, and the lights were off.

"We're going to make it through this, okay? We'll go through the portal, and hopefully you'll wake up from the coma. And I'll wake up this morning, in my human self." Alfred said.

"But I thought we could go through the portal together...?"

"It depends if I fall back asleep or not."

"Okay..."

"Don't worry, it'll be fine."

"You know, Alfred..."

"Hm?"

"What's going to happen when we are humans again?"

"It'll be the same as here."

"Are you sure? You're not going to leave me, are you?"

"I would never do that, love." Alfred said, resting his snout in Arthur's mane.

Arthur sighed. It was so strange, thinking that the prideful, boasting America was now seemingly mature, but maybe that was just when he was around him. Maybe not. But the most confusing part was what Arthur had become. He's the bloody United Kingdom, one of the great nations of the world, now a pony and lying in a bed cuddled up with the one he once thought as a sort of enemy. It was so stupid and mushy. But now that he thought about it, he had always loved America. Even during the Revolution, when Alfred left him. He remembered taking care of Alfred as a child. How sweet he was back then, how much he loved England...But those days were over. That fact used to bother Arthur, but it didn't anymore. Because Arthur had now found happiness. And based on what he had seen, Alfred had found happiness as well. It was perfect. All Arthur wanted to do was give himself up to Alfred completely, and never lose him again, like he did so many years ago...

Arthur sighed, then snuggled closer into Alfred's legs.

"I love you." Alfred said suddenly. Arthur felt his heart quicken.

"I love you, too."

And as Arthur fell asleep, he wondered one last time what happened to Flying Mint Bunny and his other magical friends.


	11. Chapter 11

As he woke up, Alfred was surprised to find himself still in the body of a pony.

He moved his hooves slightly, attempting to figure out where he was exactly. As he felt the warm bundle in his arms, all the memories of the previous night came rushing back to him.

_We have to get back home_, said a voice in his head.

Gently, Alfred slid his stiff limb out from underneath Arthur's still sleeping body. As quietly as he could, he crawled out of the bed and looked at the clock. It was seven in the morning, the time when they needed to get to Twilight's house. He needed to wake Arthur.

"Iggy...Iggy, wake up..." Alfred mumbled as he gently nudged Arthur's shoulder with his hoof. "It's time to go..."

Arthur's eyes slowly opened, revealing his grass green irises. He made a small mumbling sound, holding his hooves up to his snout. Arthur was so adorable when he was waking up, thought Alfred.

"America...?" Arthur mumbled, slowly sitting up in his bed. "Do we _have_ to go?"

"Yes, Arthur."

Arthur puffed air out through his nostrils. "Very well. If you insist." he said as he crawled out of the bed and stood alongside Alfred.

* * *

"Goodbye, Fluttershy." Alfred mumbled as he walked out the door of the cottage. Fluttershy was still asleep on the couch, but he didn't care.

They walked out into the spring sunlight, basking in the warmth of the season. As the walked away from the cottage and the woods and into the town, a feeling of melancholy seemed to rise in their throats. They watched all the other ponies trot around them, each one having a smile on their face.

"I'm gonna miss this place." Alfred said simply. Arthur nodded.

* * *

"Twilight?"

"Oh, you're back! Welcome!"

"Yeah, we're back..." Alfred said awkwardly as they walked into the library.

"Well, I suppose we should get you guys to that portal..." Twilight said, once again leading them downstairs.

They walked down the stairs, and went down into the familiar basement/laboratory. In the center stood the portal, the same as when they had left it. Now all three of the ponies had a lump in their throats.

Alfred and Arthur stood in front of the portal.

"You can go through anytime you want." Twilight said, though her words sounded weak and choked.

"Well, Ms. Twilight, we can't go without a farewell to you." Arthur said. Twilight started.

"O-oh..." Twilight said. And before she realized it, Arthur was hugging her gently, his arms placed firmly around her shoulders. He let go, and she smiled softly.

"Thank you." she said.

"Arthur! I have to...I have..." Alfred suddenly stuttered from behind them, his body seeming to flicker. "I'm waking up...I..."

"What? What is it?" Arthur said desperately.

"I wanted to tell you before I go that I love you and nothing could take me from you. And you're gonna be human and we'll live together and..." Alfred continued to stutter. However, he was silenced by Arthur's snout connecting with his. A second later, Arthur backed off, saying, "See you again soon, love."

A smile flooded Alfred's face just before he disappeared.

* * *

After Alfred had disappeared, Arthur turned to Twilight, his face painted with resolve. "Time to go." he said as he stepped closer to the portal.

Twilight nodded and backed off, her eyes moist.

Arthur stepped closer to the portal, his heart racing and his stomach fluttering with anxiety. Every step he took felt heavier and slower than the previous, until it felt as if he was treading through quicksand. The portal was right in front of his face now. He gave one last smile before be stepped forward, and suddenly, he felt as if he were falling through space and time as the blackness grew around him.

* * *

Alfred woke up.

The smell of England hit him immediately as he took in his surroundings. His heart was still racing. He was sweating.

He jumped out of the bed, racing towards the door at the front of the house. As he grabbed the doorknob, he realized how good it felt to have fingers again. Just before heading out, he looked at the clock, seeing that it was around eight thirty in the morning. Equestria time must be the same as his time.

The day was sunny. It didn't take long before Alfred was racing towards his car, hopping in at the driver's seat. He wondered what happened to Japan, and if he had left or not. He wondered what condition his own house was in.

* * *

The streets were a blur to Alfred as he raced through the busy city. It was now nine o'clock, and Alfred was desperate to see if Arthur had waken up yet or not. His stomach felt like an empty pit, his mind was fogged with anxiety and excitement. Time seemed to pass slower than it ever had before.

* * *

It was thirty minutes later. Alfred was just pulling into the hospital. He could feel the phone in his pocket ring about five times, but he ignored it.

Walking into the hospital, Alfred broke out into a grin. He wasn't even sure why. It was probably the combination of all the different feelings that made him explode in a smile, but he wasn't really sure. He was about to walk up to the cashier and ask to see Arthur, but something had caught his eye and piqued his curiosity.

Standing in a small congregation were several countries. France, Russia, Germany, China, Japan, North Italy, and Canada all sort of hovered around in one spot. Alfred could immediately tell something was wrong. France and Italy were both crying, while all the the other countries appeared very troubled, all except for Russia. The hollow pit at the bottom of Alfred's stomach seemed to widen.

"W-what's wrong...?" Alfred asked, barely able to speak. All the countries looked up at him, but none responded.

A few seconds of awkward silence later, Japan approached Alfred. Japan appeared very somber, which was rare and made Alfred even more terrified. Japan looked him directly in the eyes.

"W-what's...wrong..." Alfred choked once again.

"It's Mister Engrand." Japan said. "He's dead."


	12. Chapter 12

The porcelain vase shattered loudly as it hit the ceramic tiles of the hospital floor.

"Get a hold of yourself!" China shouted.

Alfred felt a small shard dig into his upper arm, causing a small bead of blood to drip out across his skin. Alfred didn't even feel it.

A pair of arms surrounded his body, dragging him down to the cold floor. Alfred felt a hoarse groan escape his lips, his throat raw and his vision blurred. He could feel the air of commotion that surrounded him; the eruption of noise seeming to blot out his hearing.

"Alfred...Alfred..." muttered a small voice somewhere at his side. Alfred tried to reach himself towards the voice, but the arms surrounding him were gripping him in a sternly tight embrace.

He could barely feel his stomach give a huge turn as he collapsed completely, unconscious from the anxiety and lack of food.

* * *

"Alfie...Alfie, wake up...it's Matthew, remember?" said the same voice from before, barely a whisper.

Alfred opened his eyes.

Immediately, he knew where he was, based on the scent of death and illness that seemed to waft throughout the place. Turning his head slightly, he could feel the soft rustle of white bedsheets as they gathered around his body. Machines beeped and hummed mechanically beside him. He suddenly remembered how he got here. He could still feel the dried tears on his face.

Alfred also noticed that the room was completely empty, except for one other person. Looking up, his own sky blue eyes met the slightly more violet eyes that could only belong to one country: his brother, Matthew, or Canada. For some strange reason, Alfred felt very excited to see his sibling.

"Is he really dead?" Alfred asked, choking back tears.

Matthew nodded sadly.

Alfred felt his eyes begin to mist over as blackness approached once again. However, he was shaken back to consciousness by Matthew, a panicked look cemented into his gentle features.

"Alfred...please be okay..." he said.

"I'm fine, Mattie..." Alfred said, but the dimness in his eyes told Matthew otherwise.

"O-oh...I'm really sorry...but we can get through this, can't we?"

"Heh..heh...I was happy there...happy..."

"Happy where?" Matthew asked, his voice a little louder.

"Equestria...Arthur, I know you're still there..."

Matthew jumped back slightly, shocked. "E-Equestria...?"

"Yeah..." Alfred replied airily.

Suddenly, Alfred was taken into an embrace, as his brother began to sob over him. Alfred was taken aback. He had never seen his brother cry before, at least not really. Not like this.

"Do you want to know everything?" Alfred asked, feeling suddenly calm in contrast to their dire situation.

"I...I don't know..."

"Matthew...he was my boyfriend..."

As Matthew lifted himself up off of Alfred, he said nothing. Though he was still crying, Matthew surprised Alfred by appearing completely expressionless.

"Okay." Matthew said flatly.

"You...you aren't surprised? Dude, it was serious...we made out and everything..." Alfred said.

Matthew smiled grimly. "Not really."

Alfred sniffed slightly, then turned over onto his side.

"Well." Alfred said, "You can leave now. I'm just going to lay here and die or something."

Matthew gave an exasperated sigh. "No...I can't just leave you like this..."

Alfred began to laugh.

And laugh.

Until he was almost doubled over, laughing harshly as tears rolled down his eyes. "Hahaha...just...haha...go away...hahaha..." He choked.

Matthew slowly began to back away in fear, his vision clouded with tears. "I-I'm sorry..." he said before turning around and dashing out of the hospital room.

* * *

Alfred sat up.

His vision was shot with white at the sudden movement as he attempted to steady himself.

Why was he still in the hospital? He was perfectly fine.

He shot a glance at the digital clock at his bedside. It was eight in the evening, already a little dark outside. He could hear rain pelt the small window across the room. Almost subconsciously, he began to rise out of the bed. As soon as his feet hit the ground, the door to the outside world swung open.

"America-san?" said a voice.

"Japan...?" Alfred mumbled. "Oh hey dude, join the party..."

"They want to check you out now."

"Who wouldn't want to check me out?"

Japan shook his head. "No...I mean, out of the hospitar. You can check out now."

Alfred laughed drunkenly. "Oh...hehe...yeah..."

* * *

It was a day later.

Alfred sat on the couch of his house, a pile of hamburgers stacked at his side. They were tempting, but he wasn't in the mood to eat. Not after he had been force-fed that horrible hospital food.

He was in an okay mood, as long as he kept himself distracted. As long as he didn't think about Arthur.

On the television, the "History" Channel played quietly. It was a show about some aliens coming to earth and taking over shit. Alfred wondered what happened to Tony while he had been gone.

The doorbell rung, a short, four-toned tune resonating throughout the house.

"COME IN!" Alfred shouted, perhaps a little louder than necessary. He continued to focus his eyes on the graphics displayed on the television, nibbling tediously on a greasy hamburger.

"H-hey...Alfred..." came a voice that made a chill run down Alfred's spine.

"Matthew?" Alfred said as he heard the door open and close. Small, quick footsteps echoed down the hall towards the living room. Alfred closed his eyes.

"H-hey..." Matthew muttered once again. Alfred re-opened his eyes, seeing his brother standing beside the couch. Setting down the burger, Alfred's stomach became an empty pit as he saw the condition his brother was in.

Disheveled, scraggly hair that was longer than Alfred could ever recall it being. A flushed face, watery eyes, and chapped lips. Sweat soaking his body and causing his clothes to cling to him. An abnormally thin body that was shivering fiercely. Slight red streaks trailed vertically down his arms.

Alfred could feel tears well up in his eyes. This wasn't real. His Iggy wasn't dead. His Mattie wasn't standing here, miserable and unkempt.

"I-I just wanted to say that I'm sorry..." Matthew squeaked, his voice more quiet than ever.

"Mattie..." Alfred muttered, attempting to stand up, but failing due to the weakness in his limbs. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." Matthew continued. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry..."

"Matthew."

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry..."

"Matthew..."

_"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry..."_

"Matthew, _shut up!_" Alfred finally yelled, leaping up as tears fell openly down his face.

Matthew fell to his knees. Alfred ran over to him, feeling his own body seemingly give up on him as he also fell to his knees. Beside him, Matthew was silent.

"Matthew, listen. You have no reason to say you're sorry, okay?" Alfred said.

Mathew said nothing, staring at the floor.

"You didn't do anything."

Still, silence.

"Matthew, _say something dammit!_"

"..."

Alfred began to grow desperate.

_"Please, don't leave one me, not now. I've already lost the one I care about the most, I couldn't handle losing anyone else."_

Matthew looked up slightly.

"You got that?" Alfred asked softly.

Matthew nodded slightly. His eyes seemed to have brightened slightly.

Through all the tears that blinded him, Alfred gave a weak smile. He then held Matthew in an embrace, cuddling him softly. Alfred couldn't remember the last time he held onto his brother like this. He may not have the one who made him happy, but he still had his brother, and that was at least good enough.

But yet, there still seemed to be an empty hole where Alfred's heart had been...

Alfred had no idea how much time had passed, but soon enough, both he and Matthew had fallen asleep in eachother's arms, sprawled on the soft carpet floor of the meager homestead.


	13. Epilogue

"Nice day, ain't it?" Alfred remarked, staring out the window. Curled up on the couch with a mug of coffee in his hands, Matthew nodded.

"Well, I better get going. Gotta catch up on work, ya know. Uh, I hate work..." Alfred moaned. Matthew gave a small giggle.

* * *

_Arthur Kirkland_

To accompany the bushels of flowers that surrounded the surprisingly meager grave, a single red rose hung over the marble slate.

Written on a small yellowed scrap of parchment was a note.

_Love you.  
-AFJ_

Well, it may have not been much, but it was something.

And as Alfred stared down at the grave, highlighted beautifully by the morning light, he was overtaken by a strange, calm peacefulness.

_Here fell a nation, here fell a king.  
_

Alfred sighed.

Then he heard a strange noise from somewhere behind him.

_"Alfred?"_ he heard it squeak slightly._ "Alfred?"_

Alfred looked around, confused.

_"There you are~!" _the voice said once again.

"Who the hell are you? You're not a ghost, are you? God, I hate ghosts..." Alfred said, afraid.

The Alfred turned around, and was greeted by the strangest sight he had ever seen.

A small, flying, mint-green rabbit.

"Gah! Who are you? What are you? Am I drunk?"

_"No, silly! I'm Flying Mint Bunny! England sent me!"_

"Wha-? England's dead!" Alfred said sharply.

_"Yeah, in this world. I'm a spirit by the way, and only you can see me!"_

"So...you're a ghost?"

_"Well...I don't think so..."_

"Okay...so why the hell are you here? Wait, are you one of those crazy fairies Iggy was always talking about?"

_"I suppose I am."_

"Well, can you go away? I'm kinda trying to grieve my love here, and you're distracting me..."

The rabbit circled around him. _"No, listen! I can talk to England! He wanted to tell me that he loves you!"_

Alfred started. "W-what? No, no, he can't talk to you...he's gone..." he said, beginning to feel tears well up at his eyes.

"Oh, am I?" said a familiar voice. Alfred felt his heart seem to jump to his throat.

"A-Arthur?" Alfred sputtered.

In front of him, though Alfred barely believed it, stood Arthur. However, Arthur looked different, as his body was spectral and translucent. Flying Mint Bunny circled Alfred again, before flying over to Arthur and resting slightly on his shoulder.

"Mint Bunny, go back to Uni and our other friends. Tell them I'll be back soon." Arthur said to the creature.

_"Sure thing, England!" _it said before flying off into space.

* * *

"Is that really you?" Alfred asked.

"Sure as hell is." Arthur said with a smirk. "Now wipe those tears from your eyes, it makes you seem unprofessional."

"O-oh..." Alfred stuttered as he ran a finger under his eyes.

"Much better." Arthur said. "Now, love, I suppose I should explain some things to you."

Alfred said nothing, but continued to stare blankly into Arthur's emerald eyes, lost in a trance of happiness and disbelief.

"I will be back to see you for a whole day, on this date annually until you die. Then I will disappear. My fairy friends will stay with you throughout the rest of the year. You got that, Alfred?"

"Y-yeah..." Alfred said, breaking out of his trance. "But how...?"

Arthur chuckled. "A little black magic, no more. You see, several years ago, I cast a spell that guaranteed me this. Though, at the time, it was so that I could stay with my fairy friends. But I had come prepared. Though, I didn't expect my death to come this early...but here I am."

Alfred broke out into a grin. This time, he knew it was all real.

"I love you, Arthur." Alfred said.

"I love you too." Arthur said, walking over and giving Alfred a slight kiss. "Remember that no matter what happens, I'll always be there for you. And here I am, my body dead in the ground, yet I'm still here. I'm here because of you, Alfred."

Alfred's grin grew even wider.

* * *

Meanwhile, Matthew stood at the window of his brother's house, observing the world outside.

He had cleaned himself up. His hair was neatened, he took a bath, and the marks on his arms had disappeared. In his memory, the last few days had been nothing but a dark hole of sadness and despair. Only now had Matthew realized how sensitive he really was...

But at least Alfred was better. Or at least he hoped so. Admittedly, that's all Matthew really cared about, though he did miss the one who had been his guardian for most of his life.

But Matthew remembered the few days previous, where for the first time he had seen his brother actually happy. Real happiness, not faked, not false. Matthew remembered when he had walked into Alfred's office a few days ago, and had found a note, saying _"Dreams come true." _It was a cheesy note, true, but real. Apparently, whatever had happened to Alfred during Arthur's coma had brought him true happiness. And Matthew believed he knew what had really been happening to Alfred during those long nights.

Matthew gave a small laugh.

"You were right, Fluttershy. There are some dreams that you really can trust."


End file.
